Mushroom hunting in Greece: 7 places to enjoy the experience

Mushrooms - they are beautiful and delicious. You can find them easily on supermarket shelves, but you can also discover them by organising hikes in the forest and thus enjoy rarer species.

This tasty fungus is extremely important for the ecosystem since it participates in the breakdown of cellulose and xylene. For example, it decomposes the leaves that fall from the trees through enzymes that it secretes; without the fungi and bacteria, the forests would be buried in the leaves.

Mushrooms need enough moisture and specific temperatures to grow. In Greece, these conditions are especially suitable in autumn. However, in some areas of Greece, mushrooms can be found even at the beginning of summer.

Picking mushrooms is not difficult, as they often grow even in flower pots. The hard part is knowing which are edible and which are not.

That's why there are experts who know the art of mushroom picking well, and you can learn it, too, by participating in an excursion with them.

In other words, I want to learn the characteristics of harmless edible mushrooms and poisonous ones and how to collect, clean, and cook them.

You will not need special equipment for hunting mushrooms; a knife and a basket are enough. Choose the area you like, book your excursion, and enjoy a different experience.

In Greece, mushroom hunts are organised in many areas, such as the ones below, recommended by Travel.

Pavliani

The dense forest around Pavliani on the slopes of Oita hides many kinds of mushrooms. You will find them in clearings, logs, roots, and trunks of trees, as well as under leaves.

Guided by an expert connoisseur of wild mushrooms, you will walk among the firs and walnut trees on an informal hunt to discover these magnificent fungi. You will learn to distinguish which are edible, which are the most delicious and which you would not even give to your enemy.

Euboea

Euboea is another area with an abundance of mushrooms. From the end of September until the end of June, the best place to find them is on the slopes of Dirfi. There, with the guides, you will learn everything about mushrooms while hiking among wonderful nature.

At the end, of course, you will enjoy the fruits of your labour as there follows a meal of delicious dishes with mushrooms as raw material, cooked by a chef with knowledge in agro-tourism gastronomy (adventureevia.gr ).

Meteora

The Natural History Museum of Meteora and Mushroom Museum organises a specialised mushroom hunt, the "Truffle Hunt".

Here, specially trained dogs take on the hard work of finding this fungus. You simply collect them while learning all about truffles, their species, how they grow, where they frequent, and their uses.

Obviously, the experience doesn't stop there, either. It ends with cooking a wonderful truffle pasta in the heart of the forest (trufflehunting.net).

Grevena

Like any mountainous area surrounded by dense forest, Grevena has a tradition of mushroom picking and, in the last several years, has associated its name with mushrooms like no other Greek city.

To show you how much they love and appreciate them, they went into the process of cataloguing them and have so far found more than 2,500 species across the county. You will find them hidden high on the mountain slopes among firs, pines, oaks, beeches and maples, and lower down.

Mushrooms abound in Grevena from Orliakas and Valia Calda to the banks of Aliakmon and Venetikos. Fotis Paraskevaidis organises a wonderful mushroom hunt in the Krania massif, during which he will transfer all his knowledge to you. Of course, there will be a tasting afterwards (6948043660).

Pelion

Pelion is another area full of mushrooms and suitable for mushroom trips.

You will wear the appropriate shoes and enter the forest on known and unknown paths, accompanied by an expert, to collect caesar amanitas, black porcini, black trumpets, and many more. You will also learn how to distinguish edible from dangerous poisonous mushrooms.

In Tsagarada, Mr. Filaretos Psimmenos, the owner of the Amanita guest house, has been organising mushroom hunting for visitors from Greece and abroad since 2006. The activity is aimed at hostel guests and takes place mainly in September and October (amanita.gr).

Zagori

Zagori also has mushrooms, such as king, truffles, wild chanterelles and many others. So the next time you go up to the beautiful villages of Zagori, spend some time in its enchanting nature through a mushroom safari.

The Aristi Mountain Resort Hotel in the village of Aristi organises excursions and then testing what you have collected. It is for hotel guests and takes place mainly from spring (aristi.eu).

Metsovo

Metsovo is another destination for mushroom picking. Here, you can find many types of edible mushrooms and truffles.

Porcini, red pine, golden trumpets, and many more species are hidden in bushes and pine forests, and you can collect them even in early summer. The Aroma Dryos hotel (aromadryos.gr) organises excursions for its guests upon consultation.

Nafpaktia

In Ano Chora, the Crystal Mountain Resort hotel and their mushroom expert can introduce you to all the secrets of this precious fungus.

Entering the beautiful forest that surrounds the village, you will collect all sorts of mushrooms. Returning after learning how to clean them, you will taste them fried or grilled while clinking your glasses full of local tsipouro (Crystal Mountain.gr).

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