13th annual Mushroom Fair in Senguio, Michoacán

We traveled across the state to spend two nights in Senguio, Michoacán, for their annual mushroom fair (La Fería de Hongos).

Senguio is a small town close to Ciudad Hidalgo.  Once a year its residents host the mushroom fair.  They set up a long table full of identified wild mushrooms.  Several stands sold spores of shiitake and oyster (seta in Spanish) mushrooms.  Town restaurants cater the event with a wide variety of mushroom dishes including tamales, posole, tostadas, soups, burgers and more.  One table was set up with over 20 filling choices for mushroom quesadillas!

The fair was tastefully organized with events and educational workshops throughout the weekend.  There were tours of the area, workshops on medicinal mushrooms, even a hot air balloon making workshop.

We felt warmly welcomed by the town.  The director of the fair, Carlos, was busy the entire weekend coordinating events and activities but still took time to chat with us.  The owners of the restaurant “El Coyote” were so kind, offering to take us mushroom hunting after the fair.  We were stuffed again and again with mushroom treats.

Senguio was decorated with mushrooms!  Mushroom trash cans, mushroom posters, even little kids dressed up in mushroom suits.  The drawing on the fair poster was the winner of a drawing contest among the children in Senguio.  We loved looking at all the entries.

For anyone interested in mushrooms, this fair is very impressive.  It was well organized and attended by some of the most respected mushroom experts in Mexico, including Pátzcuaro resident and author of our favorite regional mushroom book, biologist Horalia Díaz-Barriga Vega.

So we send a big virtual thanks to the lovely people of Senguio.  We’re looking forward to next year!

The Mushroom Fair / La Fería de Hongos photoset on Bosque flickr