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Truffle hunting has graced "Italy Best Fall Activity" listicles for a few years now, and for good reason. Truffles are a hot commodity that grow in very few places in the world, and the experience itself is great. There is a vague air of mystery as hunting spots are kept a bit secret. There is the glamor of the hunt with a specially trained dog, and of course, the beauty of hiking through mountain forests during peak time for seeing fall foliage.
However, a more elusive and just as magical experience is that of hunting for fresh mushrooms. While truffles and mushrooms are both seasonal in the fall, mushrooms are maybe even more difficult to pin down. According to my Piemontese father-in-law, in late summer and early autumn, there needs to be a period of substantial rainfall followed by warm, balmy days to create the right conditions for mushrooms to thrive.
Last fall, I had the opportunity to go for a walk with my father-in-law (suocero in Italian) to hunt for mushrooms. He had been taught as a child to recognize several local species that are good for cooking. As we walked along, he would often bend down and pull mushrooms from places I hadnât even noticed. Each time, he would point out to me what he looked for to find them. While dogs can be used for mushroom hunting, the fact that you get to use your own skills of deduction and perception during the hunt makes it more engaging.
Another species we found that often grows underneath beech trees is the gele, or ramaria in Italian. My suocero pointed to the frilly purply-pink fringe around the top of the mushroom and told me we had found a good one. There are a few edible varieties of mushrooms in this family, but the others need more preparation to eat and have less flavor. These pinkish ones are much tastier, and he told me that we would pickle them and eat them at Christmas, dipped into bagna cauda, a classic Piemontese dish.I managed to spot one or two more growing under different birch trees farther along the trail.
I also spotted a large group of tall mushrooms with large domed caps, dotted with brown flecks. I excitedly pointed them out to my father-in-law, hoping it was a good find. He smiled and told me they were called mazza di tamburo (drumstick mushrooms). Some families in the area collect and eat them, but since his family never had, it was best to let them be. I was mildly disappointed, but this is an important lesson in mushroom hunting. Even when you are fairly certain you know a species, if you have never collected them or been shown how to safely prepare them, it's best to walk away.
Other mushrooms I found were not edible, and my father-in-law would glance at them with distaste, shrug, and simply say, "pisacan" and walk away. "pisacan" is a phrase used for all non-edible mushroom species, which locals often didnât bother giving individual names. The word literally translates to "dog piss." I have to admit that I pointed out a lot of non-edible mushrooms, but got a little chuckle out of the response each time.
After our lovely fall hike, we returned with a chest full of mushrooms that my suocero expertly showed us how to prepare. We ate sauteed garitule, a risotto flavored with crave nera, and we pickled the gele to eat later in the year.
While not everyone can go on a hike with my suocero, there are increasingly more and more agroturismi that are organizing mushroom hunting trips. It's an enchanting way to learn more about local flora and fauna and to put your powers of perception to the test while enjoying fresh air, good company, and learning about local culinary traditions.