虫草花 (chóngcǎohuā) · cordyceps flower, Cordyceps militaris

Meanings

1 cordyceps flower
2 Cordyceps militaris

About the ingredient

菌类 Mushrooms

Not a flower but a fungus farmed on rice and other media: small orange-red clubs, golden when dried. It tastes like a mild mushroom and goes into soups. It is a different, far cheaper species than 冬虫夏草.

Also called 北虫草、蛹虫草

Used in 1 dish

虫草炖老鸭 chóngcǎo dùn lǎoyā

Characters

虫

chóng

insect (from the name of the cordyceps fungus)

Examples

HSK 7-9

虫草花不是花，是一种真菌。

Chóngcǎohuā bú shì huā, shì yì zhǒng zhēnjūn.

Cordyceps flower isn't a flower; it's a fungus.

HSK 7-9

妈妈用虫草花和鸡一起煲了一锅汤。

Māma yòng chóngcǎohuā hé jī yìqǐ bāo le yì guō tāng.

Mom simmered a pot of soup with cordyceps flowers and chicken.

Tips

mistakes

Not the expensive wild 冬虫夏草 either: it is a related fungus, Cordyceps militaris, farmed on rice and other media. Its thin orange stalks go into chicken soup, pork-bone soup and hot pot.