Shroomtember: A Look at Traditional Mushroom Picking in Sweden

Whether it’s your first time foraging in the damp, leafy grounds of a local forest or your nth time picking up shrooms and magic truffles via great deals online— this peak season of mushroom hunting has a wealth to offer for psychonauts and newbies alike. 

Take. for instance. the good people of Sweden, whose storied history with the art of mushroom picking is among the richest (yet least talked about) in the world. How long have the Swedes been harvesting mushrooms? What is it like for Swedes and foreign visitors to be able to roam, hike, and gather mushrooms on both public and private lands? And, is Sweden truly a mycophile’s paradise?

Let’s find out, shall we! 

Sweden’s Mushroom History

The first historical records that show Swedish folk’s interest in mushrooms are from the 18th century. For example, they discovered that fly agaric (also known as Amanita muscaria, or flugsvamp in Swedish) had a high amount of ibotenic acid and muscimol, and so was used to kill house flies, bedbugs, and lice. Another mushroom, Phallus impudicus L., was named trollägg (‘troll’s egg’) after the ancient, rock-dwelling creature in Nordic culture. There was also Octaviana variegata Vittad, nicknamed the ‘squirrel fungus’ (ekorrsvamp or ikorrsopp) because of its dry quality. This made it perfect to use as bait in squirrel traps. 

Elder Knowledge

Bovista and Lycoperdon puffballs were used in Swedish folk therapy by sprinkling their dust-like spores over wounds. At the same time, the ‘dust’ (also called kärringfis or ‘old woman’s fart’) was feared for its ability to cause blindness, or so the elders said. The deer truffle, Elaphomyces granulatus L., was another beloved fungus in Sweden for its use as an aphrodisiac for cows and horses, and sometimes women. A kind of rust fungi called Chrysomyxa woroninii T. grew on spruce shoots and was often eaten by northern Swedes as a snack.

Today, local mushroom species are sold in weekly farmer’s markets in Sweden, especially in season. And, it’s not just the country folk, either! Urban Swedes, usually in the middle class, have also forayed into mushroom picking for fun and as a hobby. As a leisure activity, mushroom hunting here is most alive during the months of August to November.

Fun fact!

Did you know that Swedes and foreigners alike are allowed to roam, hike, and gather mushrooms and berries on both public and private land? The Everyman’s rights makes it possible to do so. Should you find yourself in Sweden someday, you’re free to pick mushrooms in lawns and urban parks to eat and sell as you like. One of the most frequently-harvested species in park lawns is Marasmius oreades, also known as ‘fairy rings’. 

Mushrooms in Swedish Cuisine

A 2019 paper by Svanberg and Lindh, published in the Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, held a survey of the use of traditional Swedish wild mushrooms as food. Fungi are naturally rich in Vitamin D which may contribute to the waves of folks picking mushrooms as a hobby. What’s the most commonly gathered species in Sweden, you may ask? Why, it’s the tasty Chanterelle cibarius, often fried in butter, served on toast or Swedish crisp bread. Yum!

One Swedish woman, born in the 1960s, told the researchers:

“My mother has always gathered fungi and she taught me about it as well. I gather the same species as she does…We often ate mushrooms when I lived with my parents and sometimes mum gathered fungi in the mornings that we then would consume well-fried on a sandwich before going to school…”

‘An Almost Spiritual Experience’

Another survey participant, a Swedish man born in the 1950s, recalled:

“My parents gathered mushrooms. In particular my father. He saw it as an almost spiritual experience to collect both fungi and berries. These activities were great contrasts compared to his profession as a construction worker…”

Chanterelles on toast can be rather tasty, as another woman, born in the 1940s, said:

“I grew up with my grandparents. They did not eat fungi (or cow fungi as my grandfather called them), but my aunts and uncles ate mushrooms on the other hand. They made stews of chanterelles and put it on toast which they offered to me.”

Mushroom Picking in Sweden

Like other Scandinavian hunters, modern Swedish foragers tend to pick mushrooms that they are already familiar with, such as those of the Chanterelle or Marasmius variety. Handbooks with pictures often serve as a guide for those venturing into the forest. Up until recently, however, there was a strange way of verifying if a mushroom species can be eaten or not.

The researchers wrote in the paper:

“One interesting aspect of all this is that as late as in the 1960s, there was an extended notion that one could determine if a mushroom species was toxic or not by tasting it. Several informants have testified that their parents used this method.”

One Swedish woman born in the 1950s could still recall her mother doing this:

“During the 1950s and 1960s my mother gathered mushrooms and separated poisonous mushrooms from good [ones] by tasting them…I only collect safe mushrooms and do not use my mom’s tasting method…”

Phew! Probably for the best, eh?

Svampställen: The Best Mushroom Spots in Sweden

Most mushroom gatherers in Sweden have specific mushroom spots — svampställen, as they are called locally — that they favour each season. The best mushroom collecting spots are located in the countryside, far from the expansion of houses and apartments. You might have to earn the trust of a local Swede, though, since svampställen are almost always kept secret. Some paths leading to these lush mushroom spots are even locked with bars; that’s how exclusive they are!

One woman, born in the 1960s, described one such svampställen in the survey:

“I prefer to gather fungi in the woods that are surrounding my childhood home and there are special spots there…Since I hunt, I have a specific smartphone application in my cell phone that helps me [find] my way home again. It gives me the opportunity [to stroll] without a concern and look for mushrooms everywhere if I want to…”

Sadly, many of these time-honoured mushroom spots are disappearing. Several respondents wrote that they’ve lost svampställen to the timber industry, clearing the once-rich forests to almost nothing, as well as new housing developments being made. 

Rural is All the Rage

One woman shared her experience:

“All my old mushroom spots are clear cut now and therefore I’ve been looking for new collection locations that I will be able to return to in the future…”

A man born in the 1950s had a clever solution using GPS:

“My mother’s mushroom collecting spots do not exist anymore and without a care it is hard to find private favourite spots since the forests are very well-visited by other collectors. However, at my brother’s place in the countryside there are some good spots. I save the coordinates when I find fungi…”

Not such a bad idea for mushroom hunters everywhere, right? This makes far-flung rural areas in Sweden all the more appealing to mushroom hunters, than the usual “tourist-trap” parks. 

As another woman, born in the 1990s, described it:

“I love the feeling of foraging [for] my own food and knowing exactly where the raw materials originate from. I usually collect fungi from the countryside where I grew up since the rural areas are not as exploited by other foragers compared to the nature sites close to the cities…”

Mushroom Clubs in Sweden

To prove just how seriously the Swedes take their mushroom hunting, there are over 20 local and regional mushroom clubs you can join in the country. These special groups of like-minded individuals gather to share their knowledge about local fungi. They also plan group excursions to svampställen during mushroom season. 

The oldest mushroom club — still busy, mind you! — is Stockholm’s Svampvänner (‘Stockholm’s Fungi Friends’), founded in 1879. Among the youngest clubs is Uppsala Svampklubb (‘Uppsala Fungi Club’), which started in 1980 to protect the mycological life in the Uppsala region. Other mushroom clubs are named after local fungi such as Björksoppen (Birch Bolete), Mandelriskan (Lactifluus volemus), Boletus, and Häxringen (‘Fairy ring’). 

How exactly do mushroom clubs in Sweden go about their business? Here’s how a member of the Boletus club described its usual hijinks during mushroom season:

Day in the Life of a Swedish Mushroom Club

“The club, which is called Boletus…lacks by-laws, member fees, managing board and everything else, which is normally part of a…society. It arises [at] the end of each summer season, when the first mushrooms show up and it lasts as long as there is still fungi to gather.

“Actually, it consists of a mailing list, which is being maintained by a driving spirit. In addition, we gain stability from the society for the conservation of Nature (Naturskyddsföreningen), which allows us to use their premises for free…

“Normally, we meet up at six o’clock in the evening [at] a suitable location in the natural surroundings of Norrköping. We walk in different directions through the woods and gather fungi [for] an hour’s time, before we get together and place our joint harvest on a large, green sheet. Thereafter, we collectively study the foraged mushroom material and create a list of the identified species.

“Later during the autumn, when it gets dark already by six o’clock, we meet indoors instead. Then everyone needs to forage their own fungi previous to the meeting and thereafter bring their harvest to the club…

“During winter time…we meet up a few times, mainly in order to deepen our theoretical knowledge…The number of club members is hard to estimate, but we are usually between eight and 12 people at each meeting.”

Sweden: A Mycophile’s Secret Paradise

If there’s just one last thing to convince you that Sweden is bursting with mushrooms, then it should be the fact that only a small percentage of edible fungi actually get harvested. That’s because most Swedish locals (especially those of a certain age) only dare to pick one or two species whenever they go mushroom hunting, such as chanterelles and boletes. Foreigners and those from the younger generation, who are unafraid to try new certified edible mushrooms, have a mycophile’s Gold Rush at their disposal.

Svampställen — secret, sacred mushroom hotspots — are all yours for the taking if you know where to look…