Mushroom dressing, mushrooms in vinegar, Christmas Eve soup or pierogi with mushrooms – Polish cuisine would simply not exist without these dishes.

The end of summer and early autumn is the best time for mushrooms picking.
Early wake-up, morning mist, sunrays faintly glimmering through thick forest, moist forest bed, we look around the forest with our sleepy eyes, a stone here, a leaf there and suddenly…there is a splendid bolete with a brown hat the size of a saucer on a beautiful, white leg. We gently cut it with a small knife just above the forest bed so as not to damage the mycelium and our happiness is even greater because the mushroom is healthy and nasty worms have not attacked it yet. We then put the mushroom into our wicker basket and sweep through the forest in silence, looking for the next specimen.

If you have never been mushroom picking then you just have to try it because now is the perfect time. Mushrooms like moist and warm environment and they should be picked in the morning because as some people say, they hide underground after midday.
A good mushroom picker’s clothing must also be carefully chosen. Rainproof shoes, long trousers, a jacket with sleeves and hat of any kind are necessary. All this will protect us from ticks, mosquitoes and spiders which are certainly not rare in Polish forests. Mushrooms should be placed into wicker, airy baskets. In plastic buckets or bags, they can become scalded and mouldy. We cut them just above forest bed with a knife trying not to damage the mycelium, which will produce next mushrooms the following day.
It is very important to pick only those kinds of mushrooms we know! There are many poisonous mushrooms which can even kill. Each year in Poland there are several cases of death caused by eating poisonous mushrooms.
But there is no need to worry about. It is best to avoid mushrooms which have characteristic lamellae and pick only those with a sponge-like appearance under the cap.

The most popular kind of mushroom in Polish forests is the bay bolete which can be found in almost every coniferous and deciduous forest. These mushrooms are usually dried, pickled or used in sauces. Under breach-trees, we can sometimes spot birch boletes, which taste best when dried. In young coniferous forests in which one has to walk almost on all fours grow “slippery jacks”. These are very delicate mushrooms, with a sticky, covered in mucus cap which makes them impossible to dry but they are perfect for sauces. However, finding a king bolete is what brings a seasoned picker the greatest joy. It is the most beautiful and most noble mushroom which grows in Polish forests and is characterised by the best smell and flavour. Christmas Eve supper could not be complete without this mushroom.
To minimise the possibility of poisoning by mushrooms, during mushroom picking season the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station (Sanepid) in Poznań maintains special duty hours during which anyone can verify the content of their mushroom basket. All mushrooms sold in shops and markets must pass through this types of testing.
So, let the mushroom picking commence! Even if you don’t find any mushroom it is worth spending a few hours in the fresh air, walking and admiring birds’ singing in calm and peaceful forests.


Photos: Rafał Maślanka