Wildfires threaten Korea's supply of beloved pine mushrooms

Pine mushrooms / Korea Times file

For pine mushroom lovers, the aftermath of recent wildfires in North Gyeongsang Province may soon reach their dinner tables.

Yeongdeok, one of the counties hit hardest by the wildfires, is Korea’s top producer of pine mushrooms — also known as "songi beoseot" in Korean or matsutake. The devastation of its lush pine forests could make this prized fungus harder to find and much more expensive to enjoy.

“Almost 70 percent of the pine mushroom habitats have been reduced to ashes,” Lee Sang-beom, a mushroom forager in Yeongdeok, told The Korea Times, Tuesday. "Mushroom farmers have been left speechless after the wildfires. It is extremely sad to see the pine forests and mushrooms gone. I don't know exactly how long it will take for the forests to recover, but what's sure is it would be at least 20 to 30 years."

Although pine mushroom season doesn’t begin until fall, experts warn that prices could spike sharply once harvesting begins.

Pine mushrooms are far from ordinary. Unlike common varieties cultivated on farms, they only grow wild, nestled in the roots of mature pine trees that are at least 20 years old. Their habitat must be just right: a good balance of humidity and temperature, ideally between 15 and 26 degrees Celsius. Too much — or too little — moisture will kill them. Even in ideal conditions, their harvest season is very brief — just two weeks between September and October.

These mushrooms are deeply woven into Korea’s culinary and cultural heritage.

The earliest known record of the pine mushroom appears in "Samguk Sagi," the 12th-century chronicle of the Three Kingdoms period. According to the text, King Seongdeok of Silla (57 B.C.E.–935 C.E.) had tasted the prized fungus. In the 11th century, poet Kim Gyu-bo of the 918-1392 Goryeo Dynasty praised its unmistakably fresh aroma in a poem dedicated to the mushroom. Centuries later, in the 16th century, royal chief physician Heo Jun wrote in his medical text "Donguibogam," that pine mushrooms are the king of all mushrooms.

Among the many mushrooms prized in Korea, pine mushrooms remain the most coveted. One kilogram of perfectly shaped pine mushrooms — thick, fragrant and around 8 centimeters long — can cost more than 1 million won ($678).

A dish of dumpling with pine mushroom from Yoon Seoul / Captured from Michelin Guide

Humble yet diverse

Despite their luxury status, pine mushrooms are often prepared quite humbly. Many prefer to grill them lightly or saute them with seasonal vegetables and soy-based sauces. Thinly slicing and adding them to steaming rice is another beloved recipe, letting their earthy aroma infuse the dish.

"I like to add slices when I cook 'samgyetang' — Korean soup with a whole chicken stuffed with rice, ginseng and jujube," farmer Lee said. "But what's important when I cook pine mushrooms is that I don't cook them so long in fire because then I am not able to feel the aroma anymore."

Yet, prestigious Michelin-starred chefs went creative with it. Jeongsik Seoul, a two-star Michelin restaurant, and Yoon Seoul, a one-star Michelin restaurant, offer dumplings stuffed with the mushrooms, while high-end Japanese restaurant Tenjimon in southern Seoul offers a dish with tofu made from pine mushroom.