By Simon Ngena
IN last week’s instalment of your favourite column, we focused on tra- ditional vegetables, which are often preserved as mufushwa. These includ- ed munyemba, nyevhe, mutsineand muboora, among others. All grow in abundance during the rainy season and come in handy in the drier months of the year.
The early part of rainy season in Zimbabwe, as in other parts of the world, is often accompanied by a glut of wild mushrooms. Although treated as a vegetable by the majority of their consumers, mushrooms are, in fact, fungi. Worse still, some varieties can be outright poisonous. Despite this, they remain a delicacy in many rural and urban households. A further plus is that mushrooms, like the traditional vegetables cited above, can also be dried and preserved for consumption at a later stage.
The vernacular for mushroom is hohwa or howa (Shona), amakhowa (Ndebele) and chikawa (Shangani). In other dialects, bowa or bhowa are common terminology.
There are many varieties of wild mushrooms in Zimbabwe, the com- monest of which are listed below:
- –Nhedzi(Amanita Zambiana; Ndebele: Amanedza): This is the most common wild mushroom in Zimba- bwe found in almost all of Zimbabwe throughout the rainy season. It can be found in abundance at local markets and sold at the roadside by people that forage it for sale on most highways.
The young caps of nhedziare hemi- spherical, sticky and golden-brown in the centre, fading to shiny white at the finely striated edge. Entire specimens display a delicate frill on the stem, and a large, ornamented, sac-like struc- ture at the base. The spherical young nhedzi is known as Chigumbukumbu in Karanga.
- –Nzeve/Zheve (Cantharellus densi- folius): It is generally considered one of the tastier types of wild mushrooms in the country. These fawny-coloured
and medium-sized mushrooms are char- acterised densely crowded gills below the cap. They are
in the Chanterelles family.
- -Dindindi (Boletus Edulis):
Found mostly in Manicaland, this mush-
room grows in pine tree areas. It has a spongy layer of pores rather than gills underneath the cap. Peaks of abun- dance occur at the beginning and end of the rainy season. It has considerable potential for greater use, including export in dried form to Europe.
- –Firifiti/Pfiripfiti/Piripiti (Can- tharellus longisporus): Also in the Chanterelles family, these mushrooms have a scarlet and yellow coloration and are most common later in the rainy season.
- –Huvhe(Karanga: Bandapaku-kutu;Ndebele: Bujugwe;Termito-mycesor termite mushrooms): The mushrooms grow from termite nests deep underground. They have a char- acteristic root-like extension of the stem, and hard, sometimes pointed, centre of the cap. They are predom- inantly white and mostly appear in the early rains. They are said to have exceptional nutritional value. They deteriorate quite rapidly compared to other mushrooms and must therefore be eaten only when very fresh.
- –Chihumbiro/Chihombiro/Chihumbiri(Cantharelluscibarius): Another Chanterellesvariety, this mushroom is considered a cosmo- politan species as is quite popular in continental Europe. They are typically funnel-shaped, brightly coloured, and have a distinctive fruity odour. They are invariably associated with certain indigenous tree species. These mush- rooms are excellent for drying because they retain their flavour so well when reconstituted.
- –Chambwe (Russula sp.): This is a large mushroom pink/lilac in colour.
- –Chidzimhaka/Chikadzimaha/ Chikajemaha (Lactarius sp.)
- –Chigoramutanda (Lentinus cladopus) Tsvuketsvuke
- –Checheche
- –Jokowa
- –RurimigweMombe Chiropa chembwa
- –Zhou Churu
- –Muchochororo wejongwe
- –Nhedzi msasa
- –Zvukwe or vuzvukwe
- –Vushavi-shavi or just shavi-shavi
Mushroom farming business in Zimbabwe has become quite common especially as at small scale or as a home business. The most popular va- rieties are grown are oyster and button mushrooms, which retail at anything between US$1-US$1,30 per 200gm or
US$4-US$6 per 200gm, respectively.
