Identification
Ear-shaped gelatinous brown fruit bodies on wood; rubbery when fresh, shriveling to a crust when dry and rehydrating again.
Edibility
Edible — the texture is the point (crunchy, neutral taste). Staple of Asian cuisine, dried and rehydrated.
In practice
- Gelatinous ear on a hardwood branch — very few lookalikes; safe to recognize.
- Always cook; dried keeps for years.