Tibet's Most Marvelous Mushrooms Daniel Winkler www.MushRoaming.com Endless mountain ranges, sparsely vegetated high-altitude deserts dotted with a few forlorn yaks and a nomad tent, these are the images coming to the mind of many people when thinking of Tibet. However, there are also endless rich alpine pastures and beautiful lush mountain forests, especially in the southeast of the Tibetan Plateau. Grasslands and forest are endowed with a range of highly esteemed mushrooms Tibetans have been cherishing as food and relying on as a source of healing and income since many centuries.   The high esteem in which medicinal mushrooms are held in Tibet and neighboring China have bestowed a high value on these mushrooms for centuries that spurred Tibetans to collect and trade them. Yartsa gunbu as Tibetans call Caterpillar Fungus (Cordyceps sinensis) is the most important of them. It is unmatched in its value and spreads substantial cash into the most remote corners of Tibet. In May and June everyone able is combing alpine pastures for this tiny fungus. Chinese consumers are crazy about this medicinal fungus and pay its weight in gold. Meanwhile down in the valleys farmers are searching the forest for “gugu shamu”, the cuckoo mushroom as Tibetans call the morel (Morchella spp.), since the return of the cuckoo coincides with morel growth in spring. Much of the morel harvest is collected for the European market. During the summer monsoon Tibet's spruce and fir forests offer habitat for many choice edibles. In the Tibetan areas of Yunnan the season starts out with the Himalayan Gypsy (Rozites / Cortinarius emodensis), which is collected for local markets. Soon follow Caesar (Amanita hemibapha), boletes (Boletus edulis, Boletus spp, Leccinum and others), Chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius), lion's mane (Hericium erinaceum) and corals (Ramaria spp.) to mention a few. Hawkwings (Sarcodon imbricatum) are collected in the greatest quantity, but have a very low value. Matsutakes (Tricholoma matsutake) on the other side have a very high value since they collected for the Japanese market. Communities with access to evergreen oak forests, the habitat of “be sha”, the oak mushroom as Tibetans call it collect mostly in July and August. An impressive supply chain including cooling ice factories and refrigeration trucks has developed to guarantee delivery of fresh mushrooms on markets in Japan since the 1990s. During the same period nomad families on the grasslands collect “ser sha”, the golden mushroom (Floccularia luteovirens), Lhasa's most famous edible mushroom. Having said all this, you will not just get stuck in the fungal jungle, but you will get also a look beyond fungal facts. Daniel will share many images and anecdotes from his over 20 journeys to Tibet including highlights from his recent “MushRoaming” tours to Tibet [www.mushroaming.com ]. He also will seize the opportunity to talk about Tibet's rich ancient Buddhist culture and its people struggle to find their place in a radically transformed modern world. Daniel grew up in Munich, Bavaria, and started hunting mushrooms as soon as he was able to keep up with his family in the forests. He studied geography, botany and ecology in order to work on environmental issues in the Himalayas and Tibet, where he has been researching and consulting for twenty years. As part of his research Daniel has been focusing on medicinal and edible mushrooms in Tibet for many years. Years ago Daniel moved to Seattle and joined the Puget Sound Mycological Society, which enticed him to take his love for mushrooms to a whole new level. Being an expert on wild edible mushrooms on three continents and an organizer of mushroom tours [www.MushRoaming.com], Daniel keeps venturing out into new and old habitats and cultures to feed his curiosity and his family, along the way capturing images and gathering stories to share.  back to MushRoaming		Aspen bolete ( Leccinum cf. versipelle) growing in front of a mani stone with engraved mantra "Om Mani Pema Hung", Lithang County, Ganzi TAP. Gyalthang Tibetan lady showing off a young "besha" (Tricholoma matsutake), the most precious culinary mushroom in Tibet. Nyishi village, Dechen Tibetan Autonomous Region, Yunnan - China. A black morel growing in Wang Shor, Sngrila County, Dechen Tibetan Autonomous Region, Yunnan - China.