Monika Kujawska, Łukasz Łuczaj, Małgorzata Karbarz
Edible mushrooms gathered by the Asháninka people in Peruvian Amazonia: the dominance of lignicolous taxa
Dendrobiology 2026, vol. 96: 13-24
https://doi.org/10.12657/denbio.096.002
Abstract:
Information on edible mushrooms among the indigenous societies of South America’s lowlands is scarce. Recent studies suggest that indigenous Amazonian groups exhibit a spectrum ranging from intense mycophobia to mild mycophilia. The Asháninka people, who belong to the Arawak language family, are the largest group in the Peruvian Amazonia. They have inhabited the tributaries of the Ucayali River for centuries, mainly dedicating themselves to horticulture and fishing, with a lesser emphasis on foraging. This is the first study of edible mushroom gathering and consumption among the Asháninka people and the second among Arawakan groups in the Peruvian Amazonia. Field research was conducted in the Asháninka communities of Upper Peruvian Amazonia in 2022 and 2024. Taxonomic identification was based on DNA barcoding. The Asháninka collect and consume over ten species of edible lignicolous fungi. This is the first recorded instance of Cookeina spp. consumption in the Peruvian Amazonia. The mushrooms are primarily consumed in soups, baked in leaf wraps over embers, or fried with eggs during the wet season (December–May). Our findings contradict previous assumptions of Amazonian indigenous mycophobia. We hypothesise that the absence of ectomycorrhizal mushrooms in this society and other Amazonian groups is due to the sca
Keywords: ethnomycology, indigenous Amazonia, edible lignicolous fungi, Macromycetes, saprotrophic fungi