Maitake Folklore
At certain points in Japanese history, maitake has been worth its weight in silver. In feudal Japan, local lords are said to have paid their subjects the equivalent weight of maitake in silver. Maitake translates from its Japanese name to ‘dancing mushroom.’ If you harvest a fairly large specimen and move it around, the frond-like aerial parts can appear to be dancing. Finding a cluster of these immune boosting mushrooms also brings such elation that foragers often dance with joy.
