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OPINION AND ANALYSIS

What’s behind the German fascination with foraging for wild mushrooms?

The German obsession with wandering the forests in search of wild mushrooms has hit such heights that some experts worry it could damage ecosystems. What's behind the craze? Jörg Luyken investigates.

What's behind the German fascination with foraging for wild mushrooms?
A man gathers wild mushrooms in Brandenburg. Photo: dpa | Patrick Pleul

Last weekend, when walking down an unassuming backstreet in an east German town, I came across a man bent down behind a tarpaulin-covered table.

When I came closer I realised he was cleaning some chanterelle mushrooms.

“Oh, where did you collect those?” I asked somewhat too bluntly, hoping for a hot tip on a nearby mushroom spot.

“Poland officially,” he said, shiftily. After a moment’s pause, he added “unofficially, Groß Köris*.”

He pulled back the tarpaulin to reveal a whole stack of the delicacy that “a friend” had gathered in the forest.

If I wanted to buy a punnet I’d have to put it inside two bags just in case some snooping passers-by looked too closely, he told me.

While I cannot confirm whether an exchange of cash ensued, the incident made clear: after decades of fear that radioactive fallout from Chernobyl had made even edible wild mushrooms toxic, the seductive and illusive Waldpilz (wild mushroom) is back.

Searching for wild mushrooms is now such a popular past-time in Germany that you are only allowed to pick them for personal use. Much like with marijuana, carrying more than the official Eigenbedarf (personal need) limit could land you in hot water with the law.

Mushroom foraging Thuringia

A mushroom forager collects a Gold-Röhrling mushroom in a forest in Gera, Thuringia. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Bodo Schackow

Everything that is sold at the markets officially comes from Poland.

Even the word conjures positive vibes. A Glücks-pilz is someone or something which brings unexpected good fortune. (The 1960s nickname for the Beatles – die Pilzköpfe – is probably somewhat more ambivalent.)

The Steinpilz is to autumn what Spargel is to early summer. So the German gourmand isn’t deterred by the occasional headline about a whole family dying after mistaking the deadly Knollenblätterpilz for a field mushroom.

The thrill of the hunt is all part part of the appeal. Clues are sought in the plants and undergrowth until a richtige Fundgrube (real treasure trove) or, even better, a Prachtstück (gem) is sniffled out.

SEE ALSO: Why is Germany being do slow to save its Afghan helpers?

Nor are they put off by the rather unappetising work that goes into preparing the fungi. 

Take the popular Butterpilz: a harmless enough name in German – but it is known as Slippery Jack in English for good reason. The brown skin is slimy to the touch and hides a pallid yellow sponge underneath. And, more often than not, it is riddled with maggots.

When searching for Butterpilze, you are advised to remove the skin immediately and then slice the mushroom down the middle to assess the level of infestation. (A moderate amount of maggots is acceptable).

Once gathered, the mushrooms can be eaten immediately or dried for the winter. During the drying process, the shrivelling fungi emit an odour that some enthusiasts compare to wet dog, others to human urine. (Specialist forums are full of chatter on just what the best comparison is.)

Perhaps this Ekeleffekt is part of the allure. At any rate, it is not just the delicate flavour that lures Germans into the forests. In a country where the healing powers of natural remedies are more highly prized than in the English-speaking world, mushrooms are increasingly sought after for their health benefits.

These ‘super heroes of the earth’ guard against both dementia and cancer while keeping mind and body sharp, German health bloggers insist.

Meanwhile the symbiotic relationship between trees and the much-loved Röhrling fungus is particularly en vogue among ecologically-minded urbanites, who anxiously seek antidotes to the seemingly out-of-kilter relationship between modern man and his environment.

SEE ALSO: How to explain German vaccine hesitancy?

Still, some veteran mushroom enthusiasts’ noses have been put out of joint by the current hype.

Freiburg mycologist Rüdiger Klein recently complained to the German Press Agency that a “real hunting fever” breaks out in autumn, with mushroom pickers trampling down sensitive biospheres with just one thing in mind: filling up their baskets.

Miffed that the modern Pilzsammler shows so little interest in the fascinating diversity of inedible fungi, Klein pointed out that “we don’t live in the post-war period. We have enough to eat.”

He is of course correct. There is an abundance of perfectly formed, predictably bland fruit and veg in German supermarkets – all clearly labelled and safely wrapped in cellophane… which goes some way towards explaining why ever more people are heading to the woods to hunt for their next meal.

*The location’s identity has been changed. To name it would be a breach of the mushroom hunters’ unwritten codex.

Jörg Luyken is the creator of The German Review. You can sign up to his bi-weekly newsletter on German culture & current affairs here.

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GERMANY EXPLAINED

Why are people in Germany getting ‘unhappier’?

Germany has fallen to 24th place in the UN's World Happiness Report, with the under 30s ranking significantly lower. It's still a stable and economically prosperous compared to many countries, so why is happiness on the decline?

Why are people in Germany getting 'unhappier'?

The UN’s World Happiness Report, published this week, puts Germany in 24th position on its national happiness ranking, down from 16th compared to last time the index was updated.

This puts Germany just behind the US (23rd), which has also fallen from a top 20 ranking for the first time this year. Just ahead of the US and Germany is the United Arab Emirates (22nd) and Slovenia (21st).

Immediately following Germany are Mexico (24th), Uruguay (25th) and France (26th).

Finland and Denmark continue to rank as the world’s happiness leaders.

What’s causing German unhappiness?

Germans are not known to be the most smiley bunch. But the country’s economic prosperity and reliable health and welfare systems have been credited with promoting a generally positive outlook on life for the majority of Germans.

But this year’s World Happiness Report joins a growing list of indicators that suggest that satisfaction in the Bundesrepublik is on the decline.

In the 2023 EU happiness index, Germany was ranked second to last among the 27 member states.

Nordic countries, such as Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland have consistently come at the top of the UN World Happiness Report since the report began in 2012. 

READ ALSO: German project spotlights happiness through the eyes of a child

“The fact that Germany lost so many places surprises me – I would have expected a less severe decline,” Catarina Lachmund, Senior Analyst at the Happiness Research Institute, told The Local. She added that there is not yet an established explanation for the decline in happiness across the country, although there are some possible ones.

As opposed to the Nordic states, Germany has gotten some criticism recently for leaning towards austerity during a time the economy has stopped growing and the cost of living is rising.

Speaking to our sister site, The Local Denmark, Lachmund said, “The Nordic model turns out to be doing a lot of good for its citizens. There’s a lot they are doing correctly, mainly funnelling wealth into wellbeing.” 

Russia’s war in Ukraine and severe inflation likely also contributed to Germany’s falling happiness score, researchers found. The 2024 report is based on data collected between 2021 and 2023, during which time the conflict and related effects, such as soaring energy prices, made headlines on a daily basis.

Unfortunately for fresh arrivals, the slipping happiness of German natives is compounded by the perpetually low satisfaction scores of foreign nationals in the country.

woman in the rain

The 2024 World Happiness Report suggests satisfaction in the Bundesrepublik is on the decline. In the EU happiness index, Germany is ranked second to last. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sina Schuldt

According to surveys published by InterNations, the world’s largest community of foreign nationals, Germany has continuously ranked among the bottom of list with some of the unhappiest and loneliest foreign residents worldwide.

The categories that new arrivals tend to rank Germany most harshly on include making friends and the friendliness of locals.

Racism and the growing popularity of far-right politics that include anti-immigration policies are also among many foreigners’ concerns.

The kids aren’t alright

Young Germans are significantly less happy than their more elderly counterparts – the country’s under 30 population ranks 47th for happiness.

As noted by the World Happiness report, traditionally in the West “the received wisdom was that the young are the happiest and that happiness thereafter declines until middle age”, but lately youth happiness has fallen sharply in North America and Western Europe. “By contrast, happiness at every age has risen sharply in Central and Eastern Europe,” the report added.

“Objectively it’s not a great situation,” Leonard Frick, a 28-year-old German and trainee at Holtzbrinck journalism school, told The Local. “There are many things to be unhappy about. Living expenses are rising, affordable housing is scarce in big cities, good jobs are hard to come by…there’s war in Europe, and all the while our planet is slowly becoming inhospitable.”

READ ALSO: ‘Tense housing situation’ – Why a Berlin renter can’t be evicted for two years

He added that social inequality and the rise of populism are serious concerns.

All of that said, Frick suggests it’s important to keep things in perspective: “Germany is still a wonderful country to live in and compared to other regions, we’re incredibly privileged and should be thankful.”

Lachmund agrees that growing unhappiness among the younger generations in Germany is a real issue: “Germany should definitely focus on the well-being of younger people and take their concerns and needs seriously.”

How is the ranking determined?

The UN’s World Happiness report is based on Gallup World Poll data, and is analysed by wellbeing scientists. Around 100,000 people from 130 countries participate in the Gallup World Poll each year.

Those polled are asked to fill out a ‘Cantril ladder survey,’ in which they score their lives on a scale of zero to ten, zero being the worst possible life and 10 being best. 

A country’s individual score is then based on an average of those scores, called the Average Life Evaluation. The Happiness Report takes an average of the numbers given by those surveyed in each nation across the last three years. This year’s rankings are from polls carried out between 2021 and 2023. 

“You can’t name a whole country as happy but you can ask the people in the country if they’re happy or not and then say if an average population is happier than other average populations. That is what the UN Happiness report does well,” Lachmund told The Local Denmark.

In the 2024 report, Germany’s overall happiness score was 6.72. In comparison, the highest ranked country was Finland with a score of 7.74.

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