You’re staring at your phone, the New York Times Crossword app is open, and you’re stuck. It’s a classic Tuesday puzzle move. The clue asks what a button mushroom becomes, and if you don’t have the cross-letters, you might be cycling through "pizza topping" or "compost." Stop. The answer is PORTOBELLO.
It’s one of those "aha!" moments that makes people realize they don't actually know as much about the produce aisle as they thought. Most of us assume that button mushrooms, cremini, and portobellos are different species entirely. They aren't. They are just the same mushroom at different birthdays.
The Secret Identity of Agaricus Bisporus
Mushrooms are weird. Honestly, they’re closer to animals than plants in many biological ways, but in the culinary world, we treat them like vegetables that grow in the dark. The specific mushroom the NYT clue refers to is Agaricus bisporus.
When this fungus is young and white, we call it a white button mushroom. If it’s a brown variety and still young, it’s a cremini (sometimes marketed as "baby bella"). But if you let that exact same organism keep growing until it’s fully mature, the cap spreads out, the gills darken, and it becomes a portobello.
Think of it like a career path. The button mushroom is the intern. The cremini is the middle manager. The portobello is the CEO who has seen it all and took up a lot more space in the office.
Why the NYT Loves This Clue
Crossword constructors, the people who actually build these grids, love trivia that challenges "common knowledge." It’s a perfect bit of misdirection. Because we buy them in separate plastic-wrapped containers at Whole Foods, our brains categorize them as distinct entities.
The New York Times Crossword often leans into botanical or mycological facts because they feel sophisticated but accessible. If you’ve seen this clue, you likely also saw it phrased as "Mature version of a button mushroom" or "Large mushroom."
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Growth Stages and Flavor Profiles
The transformation isn't just about size. It’s about water content and chemical complexity.
When a mushroom is in its "button" phase, it’s mostly water. It’s mild. It’s the thing you slice raw into a salad when you don't really want to taste much but want a bit of texture. But as it matures into a portobello, it loses moisture. This is key. As the water evaporates during the growth process, the flavor compounds become more concentrated.
That’s why a portobello tastes "meaty." It’s not just a marketing term used by vegan burger spots; it’s a literal description of the umami density that develops as the mushroom ages and its gills fully expose to the air.
The Cremini Middle Ground
There is a weird middle child here. The cremini.
A lot of people ask if a cremini is just a dirty button mushroom. No. It’s a specific strain of Agaricus bisporus that is naturally brown. While a white button mushroom stays white, the brown strain starts as a cremini and ends as a portobello.
If you’re cooking at home and a recipe calls for button mushrooms, use cremini instead. Seriously. They have significantly more flavor for roughly the same price. They hold their shape better in a sauté pan because they’ve already started that "drying out" process that leads to the portobello stage.
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The Commercial History of the Portobello
Before the 1980s, portobellos were basically trash.
That sounds harsh, but it’s true. Commercial mushroom growers wanted the pretty, tight, white buttons. When a mushroom grew too large and its gills opened up, it was considered "overripe." It looked "dirty" to the average 1950s housewife. Growers would often just throw them away or sell them for pennies as "seconds."
Then, a brilliant bit of marketing happened. Growers realized they could rebrand these "oversized" mushrooms as a premium, "Italian-style" gourmet item. They gave them the name "Portobello" (which sounds fancy and European) and started selling them as steak replacements.
It worked.
Now, you pay more per pound for the "mature" mushroom that growers used to discard. It’s one of the greatest glow-ups in food history.
Cooking with the Mature Stage
Since you now know that a portobello is just an adult button mushroom, you should treat it differently in the kitchen.
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- The Gills Matter: In a mature portobello, the gills are dark and prominent. They contain a ton of flavor, but they also contain a dark pigment that will turn your entire dish a muddy grey color. If you’re making a creamy risotto, scrape the gills out with a spoon. If you’re grilling it like a burger, leave them in.
- Moisture Management: Because portobellos have less water than buttons, they soak up oil like a sponge. If you dump a cup of olive oil in a pan with a portobello, it will disappear in seconds, and you'll end up with a greasy mess. Brush the oil on the mushroom instead of pouring it in the pan.
- The Stem: In button mushrooms, the stem is tender. In portobellos, it can get woody and tough. Don't toss it, though. Chop it up finely for a soup base or a duxelles.
Mycology is Rarely This Simple
While Agaricus bisporus is the king of the grocery store, the world of fungi is actually a chaotic mess of naming conventions. For instance, the "Portobello" spelling is debated—some people use one 'l', some use two. There’s no official governing body for mushroom spelling, so "Portobello" and "Portabella" are both technically "correct" depending on which grocery chain you’re standing in.
Also, don't confuse this with the "King Oyster" mushroom, which also has a large cap but is a completely different species (Pleurotus eryngii).
The NYT crossword doesn't care about the King Oyster. It cares about the Agaricus.
Solving the Next Puzzle
The next time you see a clue about "fungal maturity" or "mushroom varieties," remember the lifecycle.
White Button $\rightarrow$ Cremini $\rightarrow$ Portobello.
It’s a linear progression of age, size, and flavor. Knowing this doesn't just help you finish your Sunday puzzle faster; it actually makes you a better shopper. Why pay for a "Baby Bella" when you can just buy a cremini? They’re the same thing.
Actionable Next Steps
- Audit your pantry: If you have white button mushrooms, try swapping them for cremini in your next recipe to taste the umami difference.
- Master the scrape: The next time you cook a large portobello, use a teaspoon to gently scrape out the dark gills. Notice how it keeps your sauce or grains from turning grey.
- Check the cross-letters: In the NYT Crossword, if "Portobello" doesn't fit, check if they are looking for "Cremini" (7 letters) or "Agaricus" (8 letters), though Portobello (10 letters) is the most common answer for "what it becomes."
- Store them right: Stop keeping mushrooms in plastic bags. They need to breathe. Move them to a paper bag the second you get home to prevent them from getting slimy.
The lifecycle of the mushroom is a lesson in patience. What starts as a small, unassuming white dot in a dark room eventually becomes a hearty, savory centerpiece of a meal. Whether you call it a button, a cremini, or a portobello, you're eating the same resilient organism at different points in its journey. Now, go finish that crossword.