Mushroom odyssey across the rugged Pindos Mountains

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Giorgos Konstantinidis knows these forests—he has to. Like galore here, helium forages for mushrooms. We are successful Kranea, a small village of astir 200 inhabitants connected the borderline of Pindos National Park, portion of the Pindos Mountain range. Like galore villages successful the region, Kranea is Aromanian, oregon Vlach, dating backmost to 1511.

Shrouded successful mist successful winter, the Pindos Mountains emergence similar a rugged spine done bluish Greece and southern Albania. Ancient forests of pine, oak, beech, and fir person been spared deforestation—protected by altitude and inaccessibility. The Pindos Range is 1 of Greece’s past bastions of biodiversity. Mount Smolikas often meets the clouds astatine 2,637 metres.

Pindos boasts implicit 2,500 species of mushrooms. Warm, wet summers brew perfect conditions for autumn foraging. Konstantinidis knows the concealed beingness of mushrooms—their ephemeral beingness calved successful dank world and acheronian shadows. He looks for edibles similar Boletus, Chanterelles, Morels, and the prized saffron-coloured Lactarius deliciosus, emerging from the pine-needle broad that is the cleanable big for fungi, not plants.

Foraging is intangible taste practice here, crossed Pindos National Park and the Zagori region, where for a little play mushrooms look similar magicians, sprouting from roots and works detritus. Konstantinidis moves stealthily done the forest, canvassing the bases of trees under leafage and conifer clutter, shadowed by the imposing Pindos range. Soon, helium hones successful connected a yellow-foot Craterellus lutescens, colloquially known arsenic “trompeta,” Spanish for trumpet.

We determination deeper into the wood until we’re confronted by a carnival of colours and shapes colonising the crushed similar fairy village houses. There’s Phellodon niger, the achromatic tooth; Pholiota lenta, oregon sticky scalycaps; Gymnopilus penetrans, called communal rustgill; and the alien-sounding Geoglossum, virtually “earth tongues.”

The magic of mushrooms

Konstantinidis, a retired schoolhouse teacher, discovered his passionateness for foraging decades ago.

“After finishing my studies astatine university, I realised I truly missed the outdoors. As a child, I would spell retired into the meadows with my father, herding our cattle. I remembered trying wild mushrooms during our trips, so picking up mushroom collecting seemed a cleanable way to research Pindos again.”

The vast variety of mushrooms hides successful dense forests of oak, achromatic pine, fir, and beech, dots the meadows and pasturelands, oregon grows on the banks of the rivers Aliakmonas and Venetiko. So impressed was Grevena’s section authorities that they commissioned Konstantinidis to write a publication connected section mushrooms—a task that sparked unexpected enthusiasm among the locals.

“People were bare for more. Eventually, friends and I founded an relation to make and stock our emotion for fungi.”

Soon, the technological assemblage joined the ngo to rise consciousness astir Greece’s edible fungal diversity.

“We discovered respective unknown species and named them. Barsia hellenica, for example, a truffle-like fungus, tin lone beryllium recovered successful Greece,” Konstantinidis says.

A mushrooming economy

On our thrust backmost to Grevena, we stop astatine a workshop for mushroom products tally by Fotis Paraskevaidis. He greets us with loukouki, a typical Greek sweet, and mushroom-flavored liquor. Bags of dried trompettes and wild ail enactment the back.

“The yield from yesterday’s wood trip,” Paraskevaidis says.

Founded successful 2007, the workshop present exports section mushroom products crossed Europe. A thriving, unique small-scale mushroom system has emerged. Paraskevaidis contracts section villagers for seasonal mushroom picking.

“It provides a small income, but it’s important due to the fact that economical opportunities successful this portion of the Greek countryside are limited.”

Mushrooming caller identity

Back successful Grevena, Konstantinidis takes us to a edifice tally by his person and chap mushroom enthusiast, Thodoris Karagiannis. The dark, wooden venue is decorated with an eclectic postulation of each things mushroom. The paper features mushrooms successful each form—even desserts.

“Initially, customers weren’t used to consuming wild mushrooms,” Karagiannis says.

“As a child, I often joined my begetter herding sheep. He would prime wild mushrooms and grill them, so I knew they were edible. For many, it took clip to judge that uncultivated and mysterious mushrooms were some edible and delicious.”

Several recipes connected the paper originate from the Pindos upland region.

“Kokouti is 1 of my favorites,” Karagiannis says, pointing to a crockery of fried mushrooms, onion, oil, and cornflour.

Mushrooms are nary novelty for locals—they are portion of a rustic and intangible tradition.

“People did cod mushrooms, but would simply grill them implicit the occurrence with a spot of salt. They collected three oregon 4 types; successful caller years, I’ve used implicit 100 species successful divers ways.”

Many recipes were brought to Grevena by Pontic Greek refugees from the Black Sea, who pickled mushrooms oregon incorporated them into traditional dishes.

“Manitaropita, the mushroom-stuffed pie, besides originates from Pontic gastronomical tradition,” Karagiannis says.

Foraging mushrooms is simply a way of beingness for Konstantinidis and galore successful his town. It is besides an indispensable facet of assemblage improvement and a increasing economical activity. Last August marked the 19th Pan-Hellenic Mushroom Festival successful Grevena.

“It attracts visitors from each implicit the world,” Konstantinidis, the diligent zero of the section mushroom craze, says. “It’s a way to stock our emotion for fungi and invitation others to articulation in. Grevena has embraced its tradition of collecting wild mushrooms. It’s go our identity.”

*Toon Lambrechts is simply a Belgian writer based successful Thessaloniki.