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Wolfgang Bivor, a renowned German fungus connoisseur, empties a basket of freshly collected mushroom On a forest floor near Potsdam.
Among the brown-capped porcini, bay boletes, sticky purple brittlegills and honey-coloured armillaria are deadly green death caps.
He described the diverse species to an attentive audience of 20 including students and families, highlighting a growing national trend.
across GermanyThe traditional art of mushroom hunting is enjoying a revival.
This resurgence has been fueled by coronavirus pandemic restrictions that pushed people from cramped apartments into the woods, the growing popularity of vegan lifestyles and growing interest in medicinal fungi.
While rural communities have long sought the forage, urban populations are also now discovering its appeal.
This practice was once a necessity for many people Germans In the challenging years after World War II, when they scoured the forests to earn a living. However, with the economic boom of the 1950s, this tradition largely disappeared from the popular consciousness.
In recent years, photos of mushrooms have gone viral on social media, turning what was once considered a useless hobby into a wonderful lifestyle pastime.
Guided tours on mushroom hunting are extremely popular.
Bivor, a 75-year-old retired meteorologist, said the visit he made on a recent drizzly autumn day was “not primarily about filling your basket – although it’s always nice to find something for the dinner table.”
Instead, he said, it was “about teaching people about the importance of mushrooms in the ecosystem and, of course, about biodiversity.”
Bivores are sometimes sought out by hospitals when they have cases of suspected mushroom poisoning.
He has also been giving mushroom tours in the southwest Potsdam area berlin For more than five decades.
When members of his group showed him mushrooms, he identified them sometimes as German and sometimes as his Latin names.
He talked about their healing powers or toxicity, gave tips on how to prepare some of them, offered historical anecdotes. He invited them to smell and taste things that were not poisonous.
Karin Flegel, managing director of Urania, the Potsdam organization that organizes Bivouard tours, said her classes were filling up quickly.
“We’ve seen a huge increase in interest in mushrooms,” he said.
Bivor said he, too, has seen an increase in interest in his longtime hobby. He started sharing his best discoveries Instagram And Facebookhas written books on the subject, and even hosts a popular podcast, Pilz-Podcast, using Pilz, the German word for mushroom.
apprehension of poisonous mushrooms
Many people are approaching their new passion cautiously, afraid of accidentally picking and eating poisonous mushrooms.
While the poisonous red-capped, white-dotted fly agaric is easily recognized, the very poisonous green death cap is sometimes confused with the common button mushroom, or champignon, which is the best-selling mushroom in stores across the country.
Many people die each year from eating death caps, often immigrants middle east Those who are not familiar with the local mushroom varieties.
Tim Koster, 25-year-old university student berlin Joe, who joined the excursion with his girlfriend, said that he had never looked for mushrooms in his childhood, and is often content with white button mushrooms in stores.
But he also wants to be able to find and prepare his own porcini mushrooms – considered the most popular delicacy among Germany’s more than 14,000 different types of mushrooms.
While porcini are often served in risotto or pasta Italian In Germany, porcini, as well as bay boletes, are often fried in butter and eaten on toasted sourdough bread with salt and pepper.
As Koster stood amid the abundant yellow and red autumn leaves, he said the tour was off to a good start. But when asked if he was ready to start collecting mushrooms himself, he said: “I don’t have the courage yet.”
Instead, he said he considered picking the mushrooms and taking them to an expert to verify they were edible.
experts They often offer their knowledge at markets or community colleges on fall weekends where people can bring their bounty and make sure they haven’t accidentally picked up poisonous pieces.
Margit Reimann, 42, who took part in the tour with her mother, said she was surprised to learn how many varieties of edible mushrooms there were.
But despite her newly acquired knowledge, she plans to stick to familiar mushrooms – porcini, butter mushrooms, slippery jacks and bay boletes – when visiting the woods with her children. During the excursion he learned that color and grain pattern could not always be clearly determined.
“I think many of them would be great culinary experiences if enjoyed in moderation, but I still don’t trust myself,” she said.