Turkey, which is home to approximately twelve thousand mushrooms, can be described as a true mushroom paradise. With the arrival of October, our forests begin to overflow with mushrooms. So, how to collect mushrooms? What is the situation in terms of mushrooms in Turkey?
Turkey, which is home to approximately twelve thousand mushrooms, can be described as a true mushroom paradise. With the arrival of October, our forests begin to overflow with mushrooms. So, how to collect mushrooms? What is the situation in terms of mushrooms in Turkey?
Mushrooms; With its tens of thousands of macro and micro species, it can be described as nature's recycling workers. In addition to their hats above ground, they have networks called "mycelia" underground. These mycelial networks are indispensable for the development and communication of plants and trees.
There are approximately 2200 macro mushroom species in our country, which is rich in mushrooms. ; We can divide it into 3 groups: edible, inedible, and poisonous. The number of edible mushroom species in Turkey is around 300 and poisonous mushroom species are around 100. It is stated that 10 of these poisonous mushrooms are fatal. Mushrooms, which have high economic value and provide culinary richness with their taste, do not receive enough attention in our country. Compared to Europe, Turkey is in a more advantageous position in terms of climate and geographical conditions. However, since we do not have enough knowledge in our country, we choose to stay away from mushrooms and cannot benefit from both their taste and potential economic income.
So, How to Collect Mushrooms?
Mushrooming is an extremely serious and dangerous business. Because many types of mushrooms are poisonous and deadly. Among these, some types affect the entire body from the kidney to the lungs, stop body functions, and even kill within 48 hours. For this reason, trying to collect mushrooms without knowledge about them is a great risk, and unknown species should not be touched. Therefore, to collect mushrooms, you must first know where to look in the forest and then know which species can be collected.
Some Mushroom Species in Our Country
The most popular mushrooms among gourmets are chantrel and porcini. The chantrel mushroom, which grows in the forests of the Black Sea and Marmara Regions of our country close to the Black Sea, not only looks like chicken but also tastes like chicken. Porcini mushroom, which is also a favorite of Italians, is known as bear or boletus mushroom in our country and grows in almost every region. Another valuable mushroom species grows abundantly in the Taurus Mountains, where cedar forests are located, and is exported to Japan under the name "matsutake". Another valuable and highly-priced morel mushroom is the morel mushroom, which we can see in almost every village market in the spring, not in the autumn.
