İskilip Preserved Mushrooms
İskilip preserved mushrooms are wild mushrooms gathered in autumn in the forests around İskilip, cleaned, sautéed and sealed in jars — a beloved winter store in the district’s tradition of home preserving. Mushroom foraging and home preservation are a natural part of village life in this forested corner of Çorum.
Mushroom Season
The forests surrounding the district open their mushroom season after effective autumn rains. The region is known especially for the kanlıca mushroom; morels are gathered in spring. In mushroom season, villagers head into the woods early in the morning with baskets; part of the harvest is eaten fresh, and an important share is prepared for winter. Locals note that top-quality mushrooms can at times compete with red meat in price — a telling detail of the mushroom’s standing on the regional table.
How It Is Preserved
At home, mushroom preserving generally takes two forms:
- Kavurma (sauté and jar): The mushrooms are cleaned, chopped and sautéed — dry or with a little fat — until they release and reabsorb their juices. Packed hot into sterilized jars, they keep all winter and are used with eggs, in pilaf or as börek filling.
- Boiling and brining: The mushrooms are parboiled, packed into jars and covered with salted water or a paste-based sauce before sealing.
The jars wait in the pantry all winter and bring the scent of the İskilip forest to the table. İskilip mushrooms and their preserves, sold in the district’s local-produce market, are among the gifts visitors take home.
Place in İskilip’s Food Culture
Mushroom preserving joins the famous İskilip pickles and İskilip dolması in the family of winter preparations that make up the district’s culinary identity. The chain from forest to table — foragers, household handiwork and the pantry — is a living example of Anatolia’s sustainable local food culture.