A Tradition as Old as Time: Mushroom Picking in Poland

kozaki_forum-0431200435.jpg, default, Brown birch boletes, photo: FoKa/Forum, center, #000000

Mushroom picking has been a part of the Polish tradition for ages: we share it with Lithuania, obviously, but also with other Slavic countries. On the one hand, mushroom picking is a national hobby practiced by the old and the young, and the knowledge of particular species is often passed from generation to generation. On the other, they remain something to be wary of, there’s an element of risk in consuming them.

Of mushrooms there were plenty: the lads gathered

the fair-cheeked fox-mushrooms, so famous in the

Lithuanian songs as the emblem of maidenhood, for the

worms do not eat them, and, marvellous to say,

no insect alights on them; the young ladies hunted for the

slender pine-lover, which the song calls the colonel of the mushrooms,

All were eager for the orange-agaric; this, though of more modest stature

and less famous in song, is still the most delicious, whether fresh or salted,

whether in autumn or in winter. But the Seneschal gathered the toadstool fly-bane.

Excerpt from 'Pan Tadeusz' by Adam Mickiewicz, 1834, translated by George Rapall Noyes

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Group scene. 'Pan Tadeusz' directed by Andrzej Wajda, photo: Piotr Bujnowicz/ http://FabrykaObrazu.com/Forum

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As the Polish literary masterpiece indicates, mushrooms not only permeated our diets, but also our literature. We ate them despite the urban legends surrounding them. Every Pole must have heard of the joke ‘Let’s hope we don’t get food poisoning’, after being invited to eat an intense-smelling boletus sauce made by a mushroom-picking family member.

Which mushrooms to pick…

Marcin Kotowski, an ethnobiologist and mycologist from the University of Rzeszów, underlines that Poles throughout every region generally have a positive attitude towards mushroom collection and consumption – especially in comparison with people from Western countries, who are generally more wary. Both young and older Poles in general tend to like the woods, fresh air and foraging. As research shows, mushrooms are mostly collected for personal use, and the deeply-rooted foraging tradition results in quite a diversified composition of gathered species – which is difficult to codify when regulating commerce.

Yet the most popular mushroom species are yellow-orange chanterelles (kurki) and the incredibly fragrant ceps (borowiki, prawdziwki). Boletus badius (podgrzybki brunatne) are less noble and are cheaper but still tasty. The carrot-colored and nutty milk cap mushrooms (rydze) are rare and highly prized for their taste. Some mushroom eaters love the big and flat parasol mushrooms (kanie), the sticky suillus (maślaki), and the ceps’ cousin: leccinum (kozaki, koźlarze) which is great for soups. Some also recommend the slim armillaria mellea – honey fungus (opieńki), and the Tricholoma equestre (gąski).

Mushrooms in Poland

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…and what to do with them

There’s a whole variety of things we do with them: mushrooms soups – served with cream or without, with potatoes or noodles – are among our favourite and are often eaten for Christmas. The same goes for kapusta z grzybami – a combination of sauerkraut and dried porcini – which can also become a filling for pierogi or krokiety – breaded pancake rolls. Dried mushrooms on their own – just with a hint of onion and lots of pepper – are also a great stuffing for uszka dumplings served with borsht. But we don’t only eat mushrooms for Christmas: pickled mushrooms are a great accompaniment to cured meats and sausages, and are often served with vodka; when season comes, chanterelles and eggs are a popular breakfast combination; meat-eaters enjoy beef roulades with mushroom sauce, while vegetarians turn them into cutlets (breaded parasol mushrooms make a fantastic schabowy or ‘schnitzel’!) or mix with groats to make kaszotto – the Polish equivalent to risotto, most often made with barley or buckwheat.

In general mushrooms – especially dried ones – are very much valued in plant-based cuisine, as they are an amazing source of the sought for umami flavour. A little dried porcini goes a long way in broths and sauces – you can even grind them and use as seasoning.

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