Mushrooms in Macedonia

[DraganOfStip]

Some of you here know I'm a big cooking fan (I've posted recipes and meals on another thread here) but an even bigger passion of mine are mushrooms.
Yes, I've been drawn to the "meat of the forest" since i was a kid.
I remember the days when me,my dad,my uncle and my granddad would go to mt.Plackovica and forage some great and delicious species,while at the same time my granddad picked some wild thyme for a great tea.
We would sometimes visit my aunt & uncle in Delcevo and visit mt.Golak too, some great mushrooms there as well.
Due to circumstances I haven't been to Plackovica or Golak for many years now, but I still forage some mushrooms in the nearby pine forest even though selection is limited.
I would like to share some info,images and perhaps recipes for those of you interested or simply curious about mushrooms in Macedonia.

The two most cultivated mushrooms in Macedonia are the Champignons or Button Mushroom (Agaricus bisporus,in Macedonia simply known as Шампињон) and the Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus, here known as Буковка).Both are very delicious and healthy.Another,but less cultivated than these two is the Japanese mushroom called Shitake (Шитаке).It is even more beneficial but very rare here (I personally haven't seen nor tried this kind yet here in MK), maybe one of the reasons is the higher production costs and therefore higher market price than the previous two.

Agaricus bisporus:


Pleurotus ostreatus:


Shitake mushrooms:


However,many mushrooms can't be cultivated and can only be found in forests,fields,hills,mountains,meadows etc.,one has to simply go out and look for them.
A great meal can be literally steps away from you.I will guide you step by step through varieties of mushrooms in Macedonia with each post.
Posts of fellow mushroom lovers are welcomed.

[vicsinad]

Thanks for posting this Dragan. I love mushrooms, and I was actually talking with my wife a while ago about if there were any traditional Mak recipes that call for a lot of mushrooms, but couldn't think of any. It was surprising because many of our relatives in the villages are always foraging for mushrooms in the mountains. Do you know of any traditional Mak recipes that focus on mushrooms, or where mushrooms are a significant element?

[DraganOfStip]

Thanks for posting this Dragan. I love mushrooms, and I was actually talking with my wife a while ago about if there were any traditional Mak recipes that call for a lot of mushrooms, but couldn't think of any. It was surprising because many of our relatives in the villages are always foraging for mushrooms in the mountains. Do you know of any traditional Mak recipes that focus on mushrooms, or where mushrooms are a significant element?

Well,I know many recipes where mushrooms are involved, but at the moment I think only селско месо is actually a traditional macedonian dish with mushrooms.There may be more,but I can't think of any right now.It is a meat casserole usually made in clay pots that contains meat (usually pork,but sometimes veal/beef is used too,in rare occasions chicken or a combination),mushrooms, onions, paprika,ground pepper, red wine,parsley,bay leaves etc.
Here's a random recipe:http://daily.mk/vesti/recept-za-nede...so-so-pechurki
And here is another recipe that I found containing one of the all-time best mushrooms in the world -Boletus edulis (Вргањ):http://moirecepti.mk/post/%D0%BC%D0%...B3%D0%B0%D1%9A

[vicsinad]

Thanks, Dragan. I've had selsko meso before, but it looks like the version I had was essentially just meso. I will make sure to have my father-in-law make it with mushrooms next time.

[DraganOfStip]

Boletus (Вргањ)

Possibly one of the best and most praised forest mushrooms in the world is the Boletus family.
Characteristic by having pores instead of gills,this is by many people considered as the king of the mushrooms.
They're known as Penny Bun in England, Porcini in Italy, but in Macedonia we call them Вргањ.
In Macedonia, it is found mostly in oak forests (deciduous forests in general,although on rare occasions some species of this family can also be found in coniferous forests) throughout the mountains during summer.
I personally didn't appreciate this mushroom as a child because it is known to contain more "fat" that makes you feel full after eating half or less of what you normally would by eating a different mushroom (remember how you used to cut out the fat part of the smoked pork as a kid?) but in time I had a change of heart and is now one of my favorites.
I remember my dad and granddad cutting them thin and placing them on big rolls of paper,letting them dry out on the sun.
They would later sell them (price of a dried bolete could go as far as 10 eur/kg in today's worth,which was a great price) or store them for later use in soups,stews or meat dishes.
Here are some images of the most common species of boletes that can be found in Macedonia:

Boletus edulis:


Boletus aereus:


Boletus pinophilus


Boletus reticulatus


Boletes sliced and prepared for drying:


Good thing about this family is that there are not many poisonous members.
The only known poisonous bolete in Macedonia (as far as I know) is Boletus satanas, or Satan's bolete, but it is easily distinguishable:



Random boletus recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBNc3YW04b8

[DraganOfStip]

Amanita caesarea (Јајчарка)

One of the rare mushrooms in the Amanita genus that are edible is the Caesar's mushroom,Amanita caesarea.
This mushroom is easily distinguishable by it's "boiled egg"-like appearance in young specimens and can be found in Macedonian forests less and less as I hear from fellow mushroom foragers.
I don't know if it's a matter of over-foraging,climate change or something else,but it would be a shame if it was to disappear.
In my youth I can't remember finding more than 20-25 of these in a single foraging day.
Human consumption of this beauty dates back ages ago,it was very popular with the Romans (hence it's name), and today it is also most popular in Italy,and in Mexico too.
It grows in deciduous forests in the summer period, I myself have foraged them on mount Plackovica.
Here are some images:







Beginners in foraging may confuse it with the poisonous Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria, Муварка,Мухарица).
Several differences are noted,perhaps the standout difference is that the caesarea has distinct yellow stem and gills while the agaric has white stem and gills:



Overall as i stated earlier,the Amanita genus is notorious for having the deadliest mushrooms in the world and are therefore recommended not to be picked by begginers in mushroom foraging because of high risks of confusing them with poisonous species.
After all, around 90% of all fatalities by mushroom poisoning in Macedonia come from Amanita phalloides (the Death cap,Зелена пупавка).
Here is a random Amanita caesarea recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkvbYpbP41E

[Risto the Great]

Strangely interesting. Thank you Dragan.

[DraganOfStip]

Macrolepiota procera (Сончарка, Срндак)

A common treat during the summer and early autumn period in the pastures and woodlands of Macedonia is the Parasol mushroom (Macrolepiota procera).
This is among the first kinds of edible wild mushrooms i was introduced to, this beauty is best served sauteed or deep fried with the whole cap (unsliced), but you should leave it on a paper towel or napkins in order to soak the excess oil.
I usually don't use the stem because it has too many fibers in it and it's hard to chew,I just throw it away.
I've been foraging these about 500-600 meters from my home at the entrance of a nearby pine forest up until recently, but their number was going down every year and they completely disappeared from there some 3-4 years ago.
it's common name in English comes from the cap's similarity to an open parasol, while it's Macedonian name comes from the cap spots being very similar to a venison's (срна) back.
It can be found alone or in bigger groups and it is one of the easiest mushrooms to recognize,considering the fact that the only possible lookalike in Macedonia is also edible (I don't know about Australia,but in North America there is a poisonous lookalike called Chlorophyllum molybdites,the Green-spored Parasol).
It makes it one of the safest mushrooms to identify and use here.
Another positive side of this mushroom is that the caps can grow to a substantial size,there are reports of many individual mushrooms with caps around 30 cm across.
Which would mean 3-4 of these would be sufficient for a family meal.
Some images of this beauty:












And several recipes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG4INCSYRsk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUQlBBPD3TI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r56p7RaI4-Q

[DraganOfStip]

In addition to my previous post, this was sent to me just yesterday by a Peace Corps volunteer that used to be housed in my neighborhood at a friend's house during his training.
He now teaches in a village near Jablanica,he was very into mushrooms himself and we developed a friendship through the subject,I even took him mushroom foraging with me last year.
Isn't this Parasol specimen a real beauty?
These images were taken on mount Jablanica in the western part of the Republic.
Just look at the size of the cap, his hand as scale...

[DraganOfStip]

Chanterelle (Лисичарка)

If I had to pick,this would be among my top 3 mushrooms, or definitely a top 5.
The Cantherellus genus,or commonly known as Chanterelle are excellent edible mushrooms high in antioxidants,beta-carotene and vitamin D.
They can be found in oak / beech forests (on rare occasions even in coniferous forests) from late July and through the autumn,and they're almost never found individually but in large scattered groups.
I've picked these on mt.Plackovica in large numbers,one time after some good rains we foraged almost 3 full baskets and it was a real feast.
The most specific thing about the Chanterelles is that unlike other mushrooms ,they have this wonderful and distinctive smell of a ripe apricot fruit.Really,they smell like fruit!
They're very popular in Europe,from the Mediterranean all the way to Scandinavia.
Usually they're prepared in omelets with scrambled eggs or as pizza toppings,they're also used in wild game dishes.
The most common member of the Chanterellus family in Macedonia is the Chanterellus cibarius a.k.a. the golden chanterelle:











Several other members can also be found but in small numbers and not as frequent.
Beginner foragers can confuse it with the toxic Jack-O-Lantern (Omphalotus olearius), the main difference is located in the gills.
Namely,unlike other mushrooms the Chanterelles have so-called "fake gills".The gills on the Chanterelles are more like ridges coming out of the fruit body that form these canyon-style humps unlike normal mushroom leaflet-like gills.
Another difference is that the Jack-o-Lantern contains certain chemicals that make it "glow" in the dark.

Jack-O-Lantern (Omphalotus olearius)



It is not deadly,but can cause illness so it's good to know the differences to avoid unwanted health problems.
Random Chanterelle recipes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU9ulLaKnrE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8B6JqqweEk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=f_oezjHwDH0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHKzKee3SxY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcbLwIfWTSU

[DraganOfStip]

Morchella (Смрчак, Смрчка)

A highly prized genus of edible wild mushrooms is the Morchella genus, known in English as Morel mushrooms.
These mushrooms are distinguished from other because they don't have the usual mushroom looks,but their cap looks like a honeycomb or as we say in Macedonia - a potbelly turned inside out.
It's probably the only mushroom on this list aside from the Shitake that I still haven't tasted.
They're not that common in Macedonia as far as I know, I've only encountered these once so far and that was when i was just a kid.
My dad and I found them on a slope in a nearby ravine,someone had disposed of a big quantity of compost and fertilizer including hay and there they were.
We picked them and my dad sold them at the market because they were very expensive as he told me back then.
I was probably around 12-13 years old at the time and had I known it will be the only time I'll find some,I'd persuade my dad to keep some of them so we can cook and eat.
But from what I've heard of other fellow foragers they're very tasty and no wonder they're considered a delicacy in many countries,or to quote Wikipedia:

Morels are sought by thousands of enthusiasts every spring for their supreme taste and the thrill of the hunt, and are highly prized by gourmet cooks, particularly in French cuisine. Due to difficulties in cultivation, commercial harvesting of wild morels has become a multi-million-dollar industry in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, in particular North America, Turkey, China, India, and Pakistan, where these highly prized fungi are found in abundance

Due to my lack of experience with morels I'm not familiar with where they can be found,but from available info online it seems they grow in almost every kind of forest mostly during springtime, with some subspecies growing in other seasons too.
Known subspecies of morels include Morchella esculenta,Morchella rufobrunnea,Morchella angusticeps,Morchella conica,Morchella elata etc.














Because they're considered a delicacy and reach high prices on the market,morels are usually prepared in a way that will emphasize their flavor instead of just blending in with the dish.
They're mostly sauteed on butter with salt and pepper, used in sauces or pasta fillings, or poultry dishes.
Beginner foragers may confuse it with the false morel ( Gyromitra esculenta) which is poisonous and can cause severe gastrointestinal upset, loss of muscular coordination (including cardiac muscle), or even death when eaten in large quantities and over a longer period.
The main difference is that Gyromitra species often have a "wrinkled" or "cerebral" (brain-like) appearance to the cap due to multiple wrinkles and folds, rather than the honeycomb appearance of true morels due to ridges and pits.Also,morels are hollow inside,while the false morels are "full".
Gyromitra esculenta :

Several morel recipes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_OK6yCw2Sc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyBezDxut70

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlW6IdwWGEI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56BK1nCc67A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkCI5KweAvk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1LEydAtA3s

[Philosopher]

Shitake mushrooms are quite good, and in fact make for excellent Vitamin D supplements. When exposed to sunlight, mushrooms (and Shitake especially) produce Vitamin D. The key is to do this in the summer, and place them in the sunlight for about two days or so, and then eat them in the winter.

Reshi and Maitake mushrooms are also fantastic, as are Cordyceps. And then there are Lion Mane mushrooms...

[DraganOfStip]

Reshi and Maitake mushrooms are also fantastic, as are Cordyceps. And then there are Lion Mane mushrooms...

I've heard about the Maitake, it's the one they also call Ram's Head and Hen Of The Woods,but I haven't encountered it in Macedonia so far.
Haven't heard of Reishi nor Cordyceps but from what i could find they're medicinal fungi.
And Lion's Mane is very similar to the Coral mushrooms,i will be covering them too later.

[DraganOfStip]

Suillus Granulatus (зрнеста масленка, волчјо лепче)

IMO the Weeping bolete (a.k.a. Granulated bolete,Suillus Granulatus) is a very underrated edible mushroom that can be found in large quantities throughout conifers in the mid October through late November period.
This mushroom is similar to the Boletus genus because it also has tubes/pores instead of gills at the bottom of the cap.
Generally speaking, in the mushroom community it is regarded as a "2nd class" mushroom,mainly because older specimens tend to get very greasy (hence the name масленка in Macedonian),and also because prior consuming the top of the cap (a brown membrane that gets slimy when wet) needs to be pealed off because it can cause stomach upsets so it's preparation is more time consuming.
However i find these remarks ridiculous since first of all, the greasy part in older specimens is mostly in the tubes,so by removing them you only get the flesh/meat of the mushroom which tastes and smell great.
Second,the time needed to peal off the cap of every single specimen may be a pain in the ass,but the end product is a wonderful tasty mushroom that can be used in all kinds of dishes - from stir-fried appetizer, through meat casserole dishes, to soups and stews when you dry them out,so I think it's really worth the effort.
This mushroom is low in fat, high in fiber and carbohydrates, and a source of nutraceutical compounds.
However,special attention needs to be paid in pinewoods that have trash or rubble in the proximity,since it is known that these mushrooms can soak a large amount of heavy metals from the polluted soil that are harmful for the human organism.
Just last weekend I went foraging in the nearby pinewoods since we had a decent amount of rain the previous days,but the maggots got the better of me.
I could have easily filleed 3-4 baskets but ended up with nothing more than a handful of specimens because all the rest were infested with maggots .
But it was enough for a creamy mushroom sauce as a dip for the chicken fingers and fries during Sunday's lunch .
Providing weather conditions continue to suit them in order to have a good season, I plan to pickle some for the winter and also dry some for stews in the cold winter days.
A quick hint for foraging them after heavy rain - once you peal the cap, let them dry out in the sun for a couple of hrs or use a towel or napkin to soak the excess water from them.
Because if you don't do that and immediately cook them,they will release a lot of water when you put them in the frying pan and you'll end up with something that looks like boiled instead of fried mushrooms.
They're literally like spunges and tend to soak a lot of water when it rains.
Here are some images:














There are no poisonous lookalikes in Macedonia that I know of,the only similar mushroom is another edible from the Suillus genus - Suillus Luteus (a.k.a. Slippery Jack or Sticky Bun).
Here's how you remove the membrane from the cap:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDmOyFJ0HA8

[DraganOfStip]

Coprinus comatus (Мастиларка,Мастилавка)

The Shaggy Mane or Shaggy Ink Cap is another delicious mushroom that can be found in Macedonia in the autumn period.
It's natural habitat aren't forests and mountains like most mushrooms, but on lawns,gravel roads,grasslands,meadows or near waste areas.
It is called "Ink Cap" because as it gets older it starts to decompose and turns into ink (мастило),hence it's Macedonian name also.
This process also begins a couple of hours after foraging,so it is very important to cook and consume it quickly after picking it before it decays into ink.
Decomposition can be prolonged by icing the mushroom or by boiling it and freezing it immediately.
Just a couple of weeks ago my dad found some nearby and they were just the right size and quality,I cooked them in a thick and creamy sauce that goes well with meat .
He said there were another bunch in the proximity but they already started turning into ink and weren't good for consuming,had he been there the previous day they could have been used too.
The Shaggy Mane is easily recognizable from its almost cylindrical cap which initially covers most of its stem. The cap is mostly white with shaggy scales, which are more pale brown at the apex. The free gills change rapidly from white to pink, then to black just before turning into ink.
It releases a great amount of water during cooking,so it's not the best mushroom for sauteeing or a crispy snack,but more for stews and sauces.
Here are some images:















It can be confused with the Common Ink Cap (Coprinopsis atramentaria),which is also an edible mushroom when not consumed with alcohol.
This is because it contains coprine which is by itself harmless,but it reacts with alcohol within 48 hrs after consumption and turns into poison:
Coprinopsis atramentaria:


It's poisonous lookalike is the Magpie fungus (Coprinopsis picacea) shown in the image below:
Coprinopsis picacea:


Finally,some Shaggy Mane recipes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii9W45u5nsg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlJiXk3joQE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efW8YjB5_x4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fblwYB8hoLM