The rainy autumn days are good for the Sardinian countryside after hot summers, like the one just passed. The rainfall, combined with not too rigid temperatures, give to fans of mycology, hobbyists or hikers the opportunity to find a large variety of mushrooms in the woods of Cala Gonone and Dorgali.
The diversity of vegetation, the soil type and altitude create an important mycological variety.
Ovules
The most valuable and hard to find species are the ovules (amanita cesarea), that grow mainly in dry and sunny glades. You can find it near chestnut, oak and pine forests. Easily mistakable with poisonous species when closed, is better to gather it in a good maturation state, allowing the spores to scatter in the surrounding terrain and sustain the proliferation of this rare mushroom.
Boletus
The massive presence of oaks in the forest of Dorgali favors the proliferation of different types of mushrooms. The "Leccino" (boletus impolitus) is one of the most easy to find but, with more luck, you can see even the rare black "Porcino" (Boletus aereus), especially near the Erica and Corbezzolo plants.
The traditional cuisine of Dorgali did not foresee the use of mushrooms.
In the past, the edibility of mushrooms was considered observing the behavior of some grazing animals or wild boar, that instinctively avoid the toxic mushrooms.
It doesn't mean that a mushroom gnawed by an animal is edible for humans, since many species of boletus can cause gastro-intestinal ailments to man while can be tolerated by the animals.
Ferula
The typical mushroom of Dorgali is the Cardarello or Ferula Mushroom (Pleurotus eryngii), which develops with the roots of the homonym shrub, very common in the wild umbellifer of Supramonte.
It's also said "mushroom of meat" for the compactness of its composition.
We recommend extreme caution and expert advice before eating mushrooms. You must go with a riddled container that drops the spores on the ground, in order to facilitate their reproduction. The classic wicker basket is perfect for this purpose.
Who wish to taste fresh seasonal mushrooms safely (and without looking for them) can choose where to eat them consulting our section of Restaurants and Farmhouses of Cala Gonone and Dorgali.. buon appetito!
