snow mushroom

6.8

A white, jelly-like food often sold dried and used in East Asian soups and desserts

noun

: seta de nieve

Many traditional Chinese desserts include dried snow mushroom for its unique texture.

Examples

The snow mushroom is prized for its ability to absorb flavors in sweet and savory dishes.
Before cooking, soak the snow mushroom in warm water to rehydrate it.
I bought some snow mushrooms for the soup.
The snow mushroom is a key ingredient in many Asian desserts.
Before cooking, soak the snow mushroom in warm water to rehydrate it.
Many traditional Chinese desserts include dried snow mushroom for its unique texture.
The snow mushroom is prized for its ability to absorb flavors in sweet and savory dishes.

Synonyms

mushroom

vssnow mushroom

236 1.0

A soft fungus with a cap and stalk that grows on soil and is sometimes edible

is gelatinous and used in East Asian dishes rather than cap and stalk form

Tremella fuciformis

vssnow mushroom

Specialized

9.4

A white, jelly-like mushroom used in Chinese cooking, often sold dried

emphasizes edible use in soups and desserts rather than scientific naming

Surface Forms

snow mushroom singular

snow mushrooms plural

Morphology

snow + mushroom

The compound is compositionally built: 'mushroom' identifies it as a fungus and 'snow' describes its white, snow‑like appearance. A B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer that this refers to a white/ snowy-looking type of mushroom (likely edible), and similar descriptive compounds occur in many languages, so the meaning is predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Snow mushroom got its name because the fungus looks like a small mushroom made of snow: it is pale and soft, with a 'jelly' texture. That's why 'snow mushroom' now means the edible white fungus used in sweet soups and 'desserts'.