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Pine-mushrooms demand a high price because they are a rare species that grow only under pine trees with specific site conditions. Being difficult to find, 100% wild, natural pine-mushrooms are prized for their unique taste as well as for their well-known medicinal efficacy.
Pine-mushrooms from Korea's pine forests are more valuable than mushrooms from China or those from other places around the world because of their high quality. Every October, various pine-mushroom festivals are held in Yangyang, Uljin, and Bonghwa of Korea. At this time of year, people from Japan and other countries visit Korea to participate in the festivals. As pine-mushrooms, popularity increases, so does the number of tourists.
Pine-mushrooms, also used as medicine, work wonders on tonsillitis and proctocele. However, because they are expensive, it is not easy to use them as a popular medicine.

Even though many try to develop ways to cook pine-mushrooms, the best way to save their taste and aroma is to simply slice them and eat them uncooked. This is the best way. You can also roast them if you cannot eat raw food.

Korean pine-mushrooms are quite popular in Japan, and are exported to the Japanese markets at a high price.
Pine-mushrooms have unique characteristics distinguishable from other mushrooms. It is easier to preserve pine-mushrooms than other mushrooms. Pine-mushrooms deteriorate more slowly in autumn than in summer. If refrigerated, they can be conserved for about two weeks.

In addition, pine-mushrooms are heavier than other mushrooms and weigh up to 1.2 kg, depending on their size.
An important disadvantage of pine-mushrooms is that it is impossible to cultivate them. Since pine-mushrooms have always been in great demand, there have been many attempts at artificial cultivation without success. Recently, various researches have been carried out, including the cultivation of pine-mushrooms hyphae.

Pine-mushrooms can be used in almost all dishes, including stews, soups, steamed dishes, yukhoe (seasoned raw meat), japchae (seasoned noodles), naengmyeon (cold noodles), bibimbap (rice hash), and kalguksu (knife-cut noodles). It is important to add pine-mushrooms when cooking is almost done. They are sliced thin or chopped into pieces and boiled slightly.

Unlike other mushrooms, no one has succeeded in raising pine-mushrooms in artificial conditions. They sprout from the ground near pine trees and spread slowly to adjacent areas. Non-specialists tend to dig up around trees to find pine-mushrooms. However, this destroys the habitat of the pine-mushroom and may stop its production.
Table 1. Nutritional properties of Korean Pine-Mushroom by grades
(Unit: %, based on dried weight)
Nutritional properties 1st grade 2nd grade 3rd grade
Pileus-opened
product (1/3 of
cap is unrolled)		 Immature product
Protein 19.0 17.5 18.7 20.1
Fat 2.2 2.7 3.7 2.5
Powder 8.0 8.3 8.8 8.7
Fiber 6.2 5.7 5.7 5.2
Oxidization 17.1 18.8 28.3 15.4
The taste and scent of the Korean pine mushroom is highly recognized by many people around the world, particularly in Japan and China. It is the unique environment and climate of Korea that makes the scent of Korean-produces mushrooms better than others. Korea has advances skills for processing and picking mushrooms, as well as preservation techniques that allow long-term storage and long-range distribution while maintaining the freshness of the mushrooms.