  mushroom hunting, mushrooming, mushroom picking, mushroom foraging, and similar terms describe the activity of gathering mushrooms in the wild, typically for eating. this is popular in most of europe, including the nordic, baltic, and slavic countries and the mediterranean basin, as well as in australia, japan, korea, canada, the indian subcontinent, and the northwestern, northeastern, midwestern and appalachian united states. == identifying mushrooms == thumb|right|morphological characteristics of the caps of mushroom, such as those illustrated in the above chart, are essential for correct mushroom identification. a large number of mushroom species are favored for eating by mushroom hunters. the king bolete is a popular delicacy. sulphur shelf (also known as chicken mushroom or chicken of the woods) is often gathered because it occurs in bulk, recurs year after year, is easily identified, and has a wide variety of culinary uses. pine mushrooms, chanterelles, morels, oyster mushrooms, puffballs and polypores are among the most popular types of mushrooms to gather, most of these being fairly simple to properly identify by anyone with practice. much more care, education, and experience is typically required to make a positive identification of many species, however, and as such, few collect from more dangerous groups, such as amanita, which include some of the most toxic mushrooms in existence. many field guides on mushrooms are available, but the ability to identify and prepare edible mushrooms is often passed down through generations, especially in the slavic countries. identification is not the only element of mushroom hunting that takes practice; knowing where and when to search does as well. most mushroom species require very specific conditions. some only grow at the base of a certain type of tree, for example. finding a desired species that is known to grow in a certain region can be a challenge. === safety issues ===    a czech adage warns that "vÅ¡echny houby jsou jedlÃ©, ale nÄkterÃ© jenom jednou." translated, that "every mushroom is edible, but some only once." some mu
Edible_fungi Non-timber_forest_products Slavic_culture