Photos and Story by Mary Buttaro

If you think foraging for exotic mushrooms is only for the experienced, think again! Join beginning forager Mary Buttaro, with experienced forager Loraine Berry, as they trek through the forests of Mexico's smallest state, Tlaxcala. Organized by Mexican Mushroom Tours, beginners and advanced foragers alike pick, cook, and learn about native life styles that flourish under an economy that benefits from mushroom foraging.

A Mycological Expedition

For one week in late August, with temperatures in the 70's, four of Mexico's eminent mycologists lead our group into the forests. Indigenous guides help us find the edible treasures, show us the way through the dense growth, and keep us from getting lost in the forest.

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Home base for the trip is the city of Tlaxcala, founded in 1527 by Franciscan friars, surrounded by 15,000—foot peaks, lies in a volcanic belt that runs from the Pacific to the Gulf coasts. The state's natural beauty and surprising biodiversity—rolling plains, grassy meadows, cool pine and oak forests, waterfalls, and majestic mountains—offer a spectrum of outdoor pleasure. For mushroomers in particular, the temperate climate, arboreal variety, and plentiful seasonal precipitation produce spectacular foray locations. Additionally, this unique epicenter of biodiversity spawned the development of the University of Tlaxcala's Laboratory of Mycology, which is devoted to the study of Mexican fungi.

While some of the mushrooms found here also grow in the United States, many can be found nowhere else in the world. New varieties continue to be discovered. Ten thousand varieties are estimated to exist in Mexico. Thus far, about six hundred have been identified in this area. Some years ago, there was great excitement in the mycological circles when a Hydnum Regalias, a species first described from the Royal Gardens in Kensington, actually turned out to be a Mexican native. It traveled in a mycorrhizal relationship with a Mexican tree that was planted many years before in the English arboretum.

Depending on seasonal rains, mushrooms begin to appear in May and can extend into October and even November. Each fungus has requirements for its growth. Many mushrooms are mycorrihizal, having symbiotic relationships with certain plants. Some are parasitic and still others are cosmopolitan, growing everywhere.

The sky is particularly interesting to watch. Each day, the deep blue, cloudless sky is gradually populated with billowy white clouds that change and darken to a dramatic deep gray as the daily rainstorm approaches. Sky watching, an important activity during the foray, saves us from being surprised by a sudden change in the weather. Every afternoon rain pounds down for an hour, then makes way for clear skies. The daily gift of rain keeps this area very productive.

Mushroom Culture

The heavily forested slopes of La Malinche, one of the four volcanoes in the Tlaxcala area, rich with many species of fungi, have blessed indigenous Indian groups with their bounty for hundreds of years. Mushroom collecting is an ancient tradition with deep cultural significance, dating back at least two thousand years in this region. Ethno mycologist Adriana Montoya, studies the modern day mushroom culture of these Indians, and shared her findings with our group. Although mushrooms are gathered for sale and are very important to the local economy, Adriana has found that native people also use mushrooms for food, tinder, cosmetics, insecticide, medicine, and ornaments.

Mushroom gathering is a family affair that includes even very young children. By accompanying parents during mushroom forays, children learn to recognize the most desirable varieties and learn the secrets of where to find them in the forest. One of our guides, Guadalupe, carries her month old daughter with her as we tramp through the forest where she spends much of her time. Her two preschool children accompany another female guide.

Walking through Javier Mina, we happen upon people engaging in the food dehydrating process used in this remote area. On tarps in a roadway, beans, mushrooms, corn, and seeds dry in the sun. When drying is complete, villagers sack their goods for shipping. Mushrooms gathered in this area are sent to local markets and to Mexico City, where they continue on to brokers in Paris, Buenos Aires and Milan. This wonderful cottage industry makes it possible for the indigenous people to continue to live in some of the most spectacular geography on earth.

Mushroom Foraging

Each day's foray yields different species of fungi depending on the type of forest visited. We collect at elevations of 8,500-10,000 feet in areas where access is often difficult. Steep slopes and slippery embankments test our mettle. The group is quickly becoming rather like a family, sharing fun and sometimes helping each other survive. Usually, we ride in a small bus but, on the trip to Cañada Grande, we transfer to the back of a dump truck for the last two kilometers. The driver navigates a dry, rutted streambed to reach our destination. Hanging on to the sideboards as the truck sways and bumps along, the group ducks on cue to avoid the low tree branches. Deep into the forest the truck stops, we climb out of the truck and fan out to begin the mushroom hunt.

Two hours later, the truck horn sounds three times, the signal for us to return to the truck and enjoy lunch in the forest. Rogelio Salas, once owner of a restaurant in Mexico City, coordinates our meals. Watermelon juice and wild mushroom tamales made with blue corn are the group's favorite. Local peaches are in season, and are served for dessert. They are quite small but delectable.

As a beginner, I collect every mushroom I see and carefully place it into my foray basket with great excitement. In a few days, with more knowledge, I gather selectively according to my own personal scale. I pick the choicest, most unusual, largest, prettiest, smallest and species unknown to me. At day's end, the group's collecting effort is studied. Identification tables are set up by our expert mycologists, with knowledgeable trip members assisting.

Loraine Berry, who has been interested in mushrooms for at least forty years, and is here to learn even more, assists with the identification task. Through a process of consultation, debate and research, the specimens are labeled with Latin and local names.

Mushroom spores are examined under a microscope for any specimens defying identification by other means. To quote Nance, one of our trippers, "looking at spores under a microscope was not something I thought of as a vacation plan, but once you took a close look they were so interesting! Some of those tiny spores have ventriculated surfaces so that they can attach themselves to any hapless creature or bit of passing debris." The mycologists continue their work late into the evening, investigating, photographing, and cataloging the day's foray result to add to their research data.

The local people collect sixty edible mushroom species. Although we do not find that many, we collect enough edibles each day to feast on. Once the genus and species of a particular mushroom has been established and everyone has looked over the day's foray results, the best tasting mushrooms are transferred to the kitchen. The gracious staff at La Escondida allow us to invade their rustic kitchen to prepare our "tasting". The night I assist, we prepare Boletus luridiformis, Lactarius salmonicolor, Boletus pinophilus (pante), Clavariadelphus truncatus, Tricholomata clitocybe gibba, Cantharellas, Hygrophorus chrysodon (huevito) and Helvella crispa (oreja de padre). These are prepared simply, sautéed separately with a little butter and salt, to allow the individual flavors to be appreciated. Loraine Berry, very experienced with mushroom identification and preparation, says that "they may be edible, but some mushrooms are not incredible". She was right, they were not equally delicious.

Native Cuisine

The professional cooks use our wild mushrooms, local blue corn, squash blossoms, nopal cactus leaf, and other local produce in preparing our meals. This area of Mexico is well known for its sauces, but my personal favorites are Crema de Flores de Calabaza (Cream of Squash Blossom Soup), flavored with chiles and goat cheese, and Puerco Almendrado con Hongos (Almond Pork with Mushrooms), combining flavors of almonds, chiles, mushrooms and cinnamon. The recipes for these two dishes follow.

On the fifth day, base camp moves to the northern limits of the state to a picturesque rustic mountain resort, Al Final de La Senda (literally: "the end of the trail"). We foray on the lodge's hilly 80-acre fungi-rich property and find one of the most unusual specimens of our trip, a Sparassis crispa, whose shape and size closely resemble a bouquet of wide egg noodles about the size of a full grown cauliflower. A small piece is trimmed from the bottom for further study while the rest is cooked for our appreciation that evening. This particular mushroom, it seems, is best stewed in chicken broth and has a very delicate flavor.

One of the most interesting culinary experiences we had was a savory Mixote luncheon. Mixote is complex to prepare. Lamb pieces and flavoring are wrapped together in a special paper that resembles the skin of the Maguay cactus—which was originally used to prepare this dish until it became too scarce. The packages are then buried with heated stones, and cooked under the ground for many hours. The result is tender, succulent and tasty. The region's famous Pulque, femented Maguay cactus juice, is served with this traditiional meal. Our mycologists consume glass after glass of this healthful drink but one small taste and I am back to red wine.

The final day, was R & R (rest & relaxation), at the elegant downtown hotel, the Posada San Francisco in Tlaxcala. Right on the main square, the hotel is a few blocks from the overwhelming, Saturday market. Shopping, at last! The stalls are colorful, the area crowded with families eating, shopping and relaxing. I manage to snag a great pair of silver and brass earrings, my only purchase.

The farewell dinner at la Cacerola, one of the top restaurants in the city, is a short walk from the hotel. For the first time in a week I dress up. Everyone is splendid in their finest. We eat, drink, joke, take pictures, visit, and listen to pre-Hispanic music (Peruvian) as we say goodbye to each other.

Looking back, the trip was more than I expected.It was challenging, exposed me to interesting people, gave me deeper cultural understanding and I know oh, so much more about mushrooms. The next Mexican mushroom adventure may be Copper Canyon. If this sounds like fun to you, come on along!

Mary's Favorite Recipes

Crema de Flor de Calabacitas
Courtesy Mexican Mushroom Tours

(Click on recipe in Other Great Links to get recipe)

Puerco Almendrado con Hongos
Courtesy Rogelio Salas Silva

(Click on recipe in Other Great Links to get recipe)

Other Great Links:

Foraging for Mushrooms in Mexico Recipes

Crema de Flor de Calabacita

Puerco Almendrado con Hongos

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Trail Food

Who's Who in Mexican Mushroom Tours