There are few recipes for mushroom dishes in Bulgarian cookbooks, and local restaurants will at best offer you fried champignons. This does not mean that mushrooms do not grow in Bulgaria. They do, and a variety of species from russula and dung beetles to delicious Piedmontese truffles. It’s just that here they have never been one of the main sources of protein, nor a favorite delicacy. Just one of the gifts of the generous Bulgarian nature, fading against the background of nut-fruit-vegetable splendor.
In practice, such indifference to mushrooms means that there are few lovers of “quiet hunting” here. When going into the forests, you don’t have to be afraid of competition. Mushrooms are usually not collected for personal consumption, but many make a living by collecting valuable varieties and then reselling them to resellers. This applies primarily to white and truffles. Resellers buy them and then resell them to Italian restaurants at exorbitant prices.
Unusual names and types
Bulgarian names for mushrooms do not coincide with Russian ones. For example, our pale grebe is called “green fly agaric” by the Bulgarians. And this is correct, since the deadly poisonous mushroom belongs specifically to the genus Amanita (fly agaric).
Our chanterelles are “paci krak”, i.e. duck leg. The name “chanterelles” is also used, but for other mushrooms, which in Russia are called govorushkas. Be careful: false chanterelles are quite difficult to distinguish from real ones. Greenfinches are called “lemons”, and this mushroom is considered poisonous. Whites are “manatarki”. But saffron milk caps are called the same as in Russia - “Rizhiki”. Champignons (and not only edible varieties), mushrooms, umbrellas, and white mushrooms are often found in Bulgarian forests. Porcini mushroom soup (manatarka soup) is a fairly popular dish on the menu of Bulgarian restaurants, but unfortunately, more often it happens that instead of it they serve soup from ordinary champignons, or even powder soup.
You can also find an elegant imperial mushroom. Here it is called “bulka”, which means “bride” in Bulgarian. This name is due to the fact that young bright orange mushrooms are covered with a white shell, like a wedding veil. This is one of the few species to which Bulgarians are open-minded. Also, umbrella mushrooms, whose caps are fried in batter, and porcini mushrooms are also sometimes collected here.
According to some researchers, the toxicity of mushrooms may depend on where they grow, so commonly edible species in Bulgaria may turn out to be inedible. Reports of mushroom poisoning in the Bulgarian press rarely appear, but this is not due to the fact that there are no fly agarics and toadstools here, but because the local population prefers proven champignons to wild species. Some types of mushrooms are sold in markets.
Where to go for mushrooms?
You can pick mushrooms in Bulgaria almost all year round, especially in warm and humid weather. A large number of trophies come from forests located near Varna, Shumen, Silistra, Sofia and Plovdiv. You can look for mushrooms not only on the ground. For example, the species Judino ear (Judas ear, or auricularia ear-shaped, or black Chinese mushroom) grows on tree trunks. These thin brown growths that appear on deciduous trees are very popular in Asia. They are believed to have antitumor activity and prevent many diseases.
The most valuable species are generally hidden underground - these are the famous truffles, which in Bulgaria are called “black gold.” To find them, you need specially trained dogs with a good sense of smell. Previously, pigs were used for this, but then this idea was abandoned. The fact is that pigs are partial to truffles, so they easily find them even without prior training, but they are not in a hurry to give them to a person, but happily eat them themselves. Not every mushroom picker is ready to watch how, in front of his eyes, an impudent animal eats a delicacy, the cost of which reaches several thousand euros per kilogram, which is why pigs are practically not used to search for truffles in Bulgaria today.
Postage stamps with poisonous mushrooms: Diplenka, Dyavlska gaba, Zelena and Byala fly agaric, Pantherka
To summarize, it is worth remembering the main rule of a mushroom picker: “if you’re not sure, don’t take it.” Fearing poisonous mushrooms, many of our compatriots collect exclusively porcini mushrooms in the Bulgarian forests. By the way, edible mushrooms are called yadlivi in Bulgarian.
Edible mushrooms growing in Bulgaria:
- Galbka (Russula). Red, white, pink, brown.
- Pachi krak (Chanterelles). There are false foxes (talkers).
- Brezovki (boletus).
- Yudino ear (Judas ear). Black Chinese mushroom
- Maslovki (butter).
- Kladnitsa (oyster mushrooms).
- Pechurki (chapignons).
- Manatarka (white mushroom).
- Svinushka in Bulgaria is considered a non-edible mushroom.
- Chelyadinki (honey mushrooms).
What mushrooms do you pick in Bulgaria?