Who wouldn't want to fill their wicker basket with good mushrooms, collected here and there, during country and forest walks? Who wouldn't want to see this rounded basket of porcini mushrooms, chanterelles, mousserons, morels, chanterelles, Saint George's tricholomas, russulas, coumelles and other delicious milkweeds? Pretty much everyone, except... The majority of woods and forests in Dordogne are private!!!
Mushroom picking in Périgord Noir
In other words, without authorization, if you are caught “with your hand in the woods”, you expose yourself to a fine of 135 euros for 5 liters of mushrooms (they are composed of 75% water) and 1 euros for volumes more substantial. If you are caught as a repeat offender, this fine can reach 000 euros. So much for the law
As they say here:
“If it doesn’t belong to you, does it belong to someone else”?
We therefore advise you to be careful where you go if you feel like a mushroom researcher in Périgord Noir. But all is not lost, we are going to reveal some secrets to you…
Forests where mushrooms are picked in Dordogne
It's easy to see, there is only one! You can go to the Sarlat-Campagnac forest near Sarlat where the collection limit is 5kg of mushrooms. If you want to travel through the Dordogne and get out of Périgord Noir, you can try your luck further north, in the Barade forest (5kg allowed) or further south near Belvès, in the Bessède forest (5kg allowed).
What mushrooms can we find in Périgord Noir
The list is as long as it is good, which is why Périgord is so famous for its mushrooms. And this is also why you will have little chance of having “mushroom spots” revealed to you by a Périgord resident. These corners are generally jealously guarded and are passed down within a very restricted circle, often even that of the family. Not for the market value of the mushroom, but by cultivation, it is a heritage. A “mushroom corner”, a good “mushroom corner” is rather rare and gives from year to year. It is therefore part of the local culture, because you often have to walk a lot to get a good harvest.
But back to our mushrooms, here are the ones you can find in Black Périgord, where and when !
The porcini mushroom, or rather the porcini mushrooms
Without doubt the king of surface mushrooms, so as not to compare it to the scams. We will therefore present to you two types of porcini mushrooms which make Périgord’s reputation in this area.
The boletus edulis mushroom
Le boletus edulis or in other words the Bordeaux cep, or Périgord cep, is undoubtedly the most common. Its flesh should be firm and white, its stocky foot and its cap light brown. It only thrives on certain trees, such as chestnut, oak or beech. The Périgord cep needs a cool night and a hot, humid day. It therefore generally appears at the end of summer from September, but it is necessarily variable. Some cep shoots are surprising, and some years are “without”, so goes the mystery of the Périgord cep.
The porcini mushroom boletus aerus
If the porcini mushroom is the king of mushrooms in Périgord, the boletus aerus is the king of porcini mushrooms! It is called “black head” porcini mushroom ou “bronzed porcini mushroom”. Its pores are perfectly white, its foot is firm, fleshy, just like its brown to black hat. Its scents and flavors are unmistakable, all the slugs will tell you if you arrive after them! The “black head” cep is found like its neighbor at the foot of oaks and chestnut trees, so don’t look for it under the thorn trees.
And between us, apart from any scientific consideration, it does much better with old oaks (but that's a secret).
There are many other species of porcini mushrooms, but they are of less interest, such as the summer porcini mushroom or the pine porcini mushroom whose flesh flavor is not comparable to the porcini mushrooms that we have described to you.
Chanterelle
How beautiful the chanterelle is, piercing through the ferns like a little ray of sunlight... It belongs to the chanterelle family, hence its scientific name Cantharellus cibarius. The chanterelle or “common chanterelle” is a tasty mushroom that is more easily found than porcini mushrooms. The chanterelle grows in clusters, which sometimes makes you think that you are finding a “carpet of chanterelles”. It grows under deciduous trees or certain conifers, in rather acidic soils. You will find it from the beginning of summer until the beginning of fall, sometimes until October. It is quite easy to pick, it is visible and it is a gregarious species, which likes to grow in the same places from year to year. Also common, it is found almost everywhere in France.
Orange
Picking the oronge is a miracle. It is as rare as it is delicious, for some even better than porcini mushrooms. It is commonly called the Caesar amanita (agaricus caesareus). In ancient times, the Emperor Claudius feasted endlessly on it. But one day he died of poisoning! One of them had been confused with another deadly amanita, the fly agaric (Amanita muscaria or “false oronge”). In other words, be careful with this mushroom.
Be sure the mushrooms are edible
The case of oronge is valid for all mushrooms. Be absolutely sure of what you are about to eat. There are plenty of books, applications and websites to identify them. And if in doubt, consult a pharmacist, he or she will probably know.
Buy mushrooms at the markets
If you do not want to engage in legal picking and are not sure which mushrooms you could pick, you still have the option of buy in the markets Périgord. There are specialized markets for porcini mushrooms, open in season only. But you just have to wander around at the right time, and you'll find what you're looking for in a crate or a tray. Indeed, mushrooms are sold according to the shoots, it is not an organized market whose production can be ensured and continues. So we're going to let you in on a little secret to finish. Mushroom shoots often appear after rain, when it is hot. So after a big summer storm, around 5 to 6 days, you will have every chance of finding them on the shelves if the year is good.
