Chaga

Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is a fungus that forms a hard, black, deeply cracked mass on the trunks of birch trees. From a distance it looks like a lump of burnt charcoal, but when broken open it reveals a rusty orange-brown interior. Chaga is one of the best-known functional mushrooms in northern food cultures.

Not a typical mushroom

The part people harvest is not a cap-and-stem mushroom at all. It is a sterile conk, called a sclerotium, made mostly of dense mycelium mixed with wood. The actual spore-producing fruiting body is thin and short-lived, appearing only after the host tree dies. This is a good example of why the study of fungi, mycology, can be full of surprises.

Where it grows

Chaga lives in cold, boreal forests across Siberia, Russia, Scandinavia, Canada and the northern United States, including Alaska, Maine and Minnesota. It grows slowly, often taking many years to reach a harvestable size. Responsible foragers only take part of a conk and leave the rest, and never harvest from fallen or dead trees.

Tradition and preparation

• Tea: In Russia and Finland, chunks of chaga have been simmered into a dark, coffee-colored tea for centuries. During wartime shortages it was even used as a coffee substitute.
• Flavor: The brew is earthy and lightly vanilla-like, with a hint of bitterness, thanks in part to compounds it draws from the birch, such as betulin.
• Extracts: Modern products often use hot-water extraction or dual extraction.

Chaga's polysaccharides and dark melanin pigments have been the subject of research, though its main appeal remains its long folk tradition and distinctive flavor.

Chaga and chocolate

Chaga's toasty, vanilla-tinged character is a natural match for cocoa and coffee flavors. If you like that earthy-sweet balance, try the Polkadot Caramel Macchiato Chocolate or explore our full mushroom chocolate bar collection.