Some people play fantasy football, whereas in my mind I play fantasy fungi foraging…

Wild Mushroom Events Around Europe

If money was no object, I would spend most of autumn travelling around Europe looking for wild mushrooms. I know this fantasy is achievable, so in the meantime I am using this opportunity to do some research about events such as festivals that focus on fungi.

I started my research from the best destinations for foraging and then drilled down to Europe.

One of the hotspots for foraging is Denmark and its world-famous Noma restaurant in Copenhagen. Noma is one of the most renowned restaurants using foraged ingredients, so I know that at some state I want to pay a visit.

My fantasy fungi list of countries I would like to visit include:

• Poland

• Lithuania

• Germany (Bavaria)

• Croatia

• Italy (Umbria)

• Spain (Catalonia and Andalusia)

• France

• Finland

• Sweden

  Wild Mushrooms Festivals in Europe

I came across a very useful resource called Mushring.com which features various mushroom-specific events.

Between September and October there is a flurry of fungi activity, so if you are passionate about wild mushrooms you could easily spend those two months travelling from festival to festival.

Mushroom Events in September

Northern Italy in September is the place to be for mushrooms: Albareto and Cuneo celebrate mushrooms in all their glory.

Girona in Spain has mushroom hunting events with local guides.

The mushroom season in Finland runs from May to November.

Mushroom Events in October

October is a busy month for mushroom foragers. There are mushroom festivals in France, Spain, Italy.

Places to note and to add to the radar are:

• Ventoux, Belleme in Orne, Mende, Fontainbleu and Eguisheim (famous for its porcini festival) in France

• Beceite (Tervel) in Spain

• Alba in Italy

Of course, as I find more information I will add it here so I can refer back to it when I am planning my foraging travels.

There are some package holidays aimed at foraging enthusiasts, however they tend to be extremely expensive. They are more exclusive gourmet experiences than holidays, therefore I will need to pass on those. However, if you are curious to find out more about these foraging holidays, there is a good guide on Booking.com: The World’s 6 Best Destinations for Foraging.

One thing is for sure: I must visit Prodan Tartufi in Croatia. I have been following them on social media for a while and I recommend their Instagram feed, often featuring their fur babies, aka their truffle-hunting dogs.