Villagers on hunt for Türkiye’s prized morel mushrooms

SARIKAMIS DISTRICT, KARS, TÜRKIYE - JUNE 1: Morel mushrooms with their nutritional value, rich aroma or unique meaty, nutty flavor, are sought all over the world. Anadolu Agency Video News (AAVN) on Friday (Jun 2) videoed a group of people on hunt for morel mushrooms in a forest in the Sarikamis district of Kars, located in the eastern part of Türkiye. Hakan Kose, one of the citizens collecting mushrooms, told Anadolu that rain had been effective in the district throughout the week. "With the sun shining, morel mushrooms revealed themselves in the forest. It was a fruitful day for us as well. We will continue to gather them from tomorrow onwards. Hopefully, we will collect even more," said Kose. “Our villagers continue to gather and bring them from the forest until they are no longer available. This contributes to both the livelihood of their families and the national economy. If not harvested, the mushrooms would ultimately remain in the forest and decay,” a mushroom merchant Abdulkadir Aygun said. The morchella esculenta mushrooms, commonly known as morel, harvested every year in May and June depending on the precipitation conditions. (Footage by Hüseyin Demirci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)