After the summer rains start, Yunnan families head into the pine forests early to look for boletes (porcini's local cousins), chanterelles, termite mushrooms (jizong) and more.
- Good for:
- Food lovers, hikers, anyone in Yunnan during the rainy season
You go with a villager who has picked these hills for years, learn what grows under which trees, then take the basket to a restaurant to be cooked for lunch, or compare it with the day's haul at a wild-mushroom market.
Etiquette and what to know
Yunnan hospitals treat mushroom poisonings every summer. Never eat anything you picked unless an experienced local has checked it and a restaurant cooks it, and never eat jianshouqing (a local bolete) undercooked; it causes hallucinations. Forests belong to villages, so go with a local rather than on your own. Expect mud and an early start.
