THIMPHU - Matsutake mushrooms are prized as an autumn delicacy in Japan, but in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, where they grow on mountains across the country, many locals have little appetite for them.
That has made Bhutanese matsutake something of a hidden treasure for Japanese buyers, with their taste and aroma comparable to Japanese-grown varieties but their prices considerably lower.
This year's harvest is also progressing smoothly, in contrast to Japan, where intense heat and low rainfall resulted in a poor crop last year.
"There's one, right under those leaves," said Chimi Rinzin as he brushed aside soil on a mountain near the capital Thimphu in late July to reveal a small matsutake.
Within an hour, the 43-year-old had collected more than a dozen mushrooms of varying sizes.
"This is when they really start coming through, and we can keep picking them until around the end of September," he said.
Rinzin's main job is managing a Chinese restaurant, but for the past six or seven years he has taken time off during the harvest season to forage for matsutake.
He sells his haul to a local trading company that exports the mushrooms to Japan and uses the money to help pay for his children's education.
From experience, Rinzin said the best places to find matsutake are areas of slightly damp soil at elevations of between 3,000 and 3,400 meters. Bhutan has areas where everyone is allowed to forage as well as others where harvesting is restricted to local residents.
Known locally as "Sangay Shamu," meaning "Buddha's mushroom," matsutake are nevertheless not particularly popular among Bhutanese.
At Thimphu's central market, Dawa Dema, 36, said chanterelles are the most popular mushrooms.
"They taste good, so people use them in all sorts of dishes," she said. "Not many people buy matsutake because they don't like the smell."
Matsutake were selling at the market for 1,000 ngultrum, or about 1,700 yen ($10), per 250 grams.
Tokyo-based food importer FUI Japan Co. saw a business opportunity and began importing the mushrooms in 2014 through local buyers.
Hiroya Ueyama of the company said prices vary depending on the harvest and time of season but are generally between one-fifth and one-tenth those of Japanese matsutake.
With exports still on a relatively small scale and procedures taking little time, the mushrooms can reach Japan while retaining their freshness, he said.
"Bhutanese matsutake have gradually gained a reputation among food connoisseurs," Ueyama said, adding that more high-end traditional Japanese restaurants and other establishments, including those in the Michelin three-star class, are using them.
Yoshihiro Murata, third-generation owner of long-established Kyoto restaurant Kikunoi, also gives Bhutanese matsutake high marks and serves them in some dishes.
"They look very similar to Japanese matsutake, and another good thing is that they aren't damaged by insects," Murata said.
But with supplies from Bhutan still limited, he sees room for the market to grow.
"If we could get regular shipments, I think they would sell even better," he said.
