Padi straw mushrooms

Padi straw mushrooms is the alternative term for the edible fungi Volvariella volvacea, the straw mushroom widely cultivated across Southeast Asia. Grown on rice straw or other agricultural wastes in warm, humid conditions, they fruit rapidly, with the characteristic egg-shaped buttons harvested before the veil breaks. Their delicate texture and mild flavour suit soups, stir-fries, and curries, and they are traded fresh, dried, and canned. As a tropical species they require temperatures around 30 degrees C, distinguishing their cultivation from temperate mushrooms. Nutritionally they supply B vitamins and minerals, while their production valorises crop residues, fitting well into integrated rice-farming systems.