A mushroom foray or two is a must when visiting unfamiliar lands, and especially so when we're overseas. Therefore, it was with a lot of enthusiasm that we prepared for our trip to Ireland by scanning websites that discussed mushrooming in both the Republic and Northern Ireland. However, it soon became apparent that even though there are a number of species to be found on the emerald island, there is no real tradition of mushrooming in Ireland.
On the website of RTE (Raidió Teilifís Éireann, a semi-state company and the national public service broadcaster of Ireland), the section entitled Fungi notes that "95% of Irish people avoid eating wild mushrooms due to the justifiable fear of serious/fatal poisoning."
The author of the Fungi section goes on to pose the question: "One of the great mycophagal mysteries is why all other European cultures have such a strong interest and knowledge of wild mushrooms, yet the Irish and to a certain extent the British, have a strictly 'field mushroom only' interest. What could explain this? In most Western and Eastern European Countries, and indeed Russia, children are given the knowledge and desire to collect wild mushrooms at an early age. Most people from these cultures are aware of how best to prepare different mushrooms, whether they should be boiled first, pickled, dried, sliced thin and served raw. Meanwhile back in Ireland we are taught that if it is not a field mushroom then it should be avoided at all costs." The author offers no possible answers to the question of why the Irish don't have an enthusiasm for gathering different species of wild mushrooms.
While Steven and Glenda Powell, his guide, fished on the
Blackwater River, I looked for mushrooms.
It came as no surprise when we talked to the hosts of our B&Bs about gathering wild mushrooms as a hobby that they were unaware of this particular pursuit, or pretty much incredulous. The following are comments from 5 of our hosts:
- Our first host had never personally hunted for or eaten wild mushrooms but knew of people who collected something called "Lady's' Wig" in the surrounding fields. He described the fungi as being tall and slim and turning purple as it ages. He thought that it tended to grow on slopes above the flood plain. And, perhaps it fruited in the spring or perhaps in the fall.
- When we told our second host that mushrooming was our hobby, she exclaimed "That sounds coo coo - just imagine that!"
- When we asked our third host if she knew anyone who gathered wild mushrooms, she looked aghast and replied "Oh, I shouldn't think so."
- Our fourth host quickly replied: "Oh, I've always been told not to touch them."
- When queried, our final B&B host revealed that she and her husband had taken a class in mushroom identification but hadn't hunted for them, having concluded that there were "so many poisonous ones."
Of course, there are exceptions to everything, and Bill O'Dea of the www.mushroomstuff.com is one of them. His home page describes him as someone who has studied fungi at University College Dublin and attended several workshops and mushroom forays in Ireland as well as in the U.S. He reports that he "has been collecting and eating wild mushrooms for over thirty years and still survives to tell the tale." Unfortunately, we haven't been successful in making contact with him.
Hartson Doud, writing for the Irish Culture and Customs website, notes that "The very mention of 'Wild Mushrooms' evokes nostalgic memories for most Irish people, especially our grandparents who can recall gathering basketfulls when there were a lot of them after a warm, humid autumn month." He believes that "the common field mushroom (Agaricus campestris) is virtually the only variety that most people will risk eating," even though "Butter Mushrooms, Cup Mushrooms and Flat Mushrooms" along with "Oyster, Brown Caps and Chanterells" are to be found in Ireland. Doud does mention that "There is still a deep suspicion of unusual wild mushrooms in Ireland; however, people are now becoming more adventurous and wild mushrooms are beginning to appear on the menus of more innovative restaurants."
If you have experience with or knowledge of mushrooming in Ireland, we'd love to hear from you. Send us an e-mail at [email protected] and we'll update this post with your comments.
The Blackwater Lodge overlooks the Blackwater River
and pasturelands where Lady's Wig fungi are thought to fruit.