There's a word that Mexican mycologists, chefs, and foragers use to describe a specific time of year: Hongosto. It's August—the month of the mushroom—although the actual season extends from July to October, peaking in the weeks following the heaviest rains. This is when the pine-oak forests of central and southern Mexico transform into one of the most extraordinary culinary and botanical landscapes in the world.
The Geography of the Mexican Mushroom
Mexico has an estimated 200,000 mushroom species—possibly more, as mycological exploration of the national territory remains largely incomplete. This diversity is concentrated in the mountainous systems that cross the country: the Sierra Madre Occidental, the Sierra Madre Oriental, the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, and the Sierra Madre del Sur.
The states with the greatest documented mycological wealth are Oaxaca, Veracruz, Chiapas, Michoacán, Jalisco, Mexico State, Tlaxcala, and Puebla. Each region has its own characteristic species, its own foraging traditions, and its own culinary and medicinal uses—a mosaic of ethnomycological knowledge that directly reflects the biodiversity of the ecosystem.
What You Find in the Markets
In August, the markets of Tlaxcala, Ozumba (Mexico State), Mexico City's Central de Abasto, and the mountain markets of Oaxaca and Puebla are filled with mushrooms that don't exist in any supermarket. They are seasonal, wild, perishable—and extraordinary.
- Clavito (Lyophyllum decastes): A mushroom that grows in large clusters joined at the base, with a brownish-gray cap and a mild flavor. It's eaten in broths, stews, and grilled, and is one of the most popular in central Mexican markets.
- Tecomate (Amanita and Volvariella spp.): The "eggs" from which an adult mushroom emerges. In Mexico State, they are eaten before the cap opens—creamy texture, mild flavor.
- Hongo de sangre (Hygrophorus russula): Its name comes from the reddish liquid it exudes when the cap is cut. Intense flavor, firm texture. Essential in the mountain cuisine of Tlaxcala and Puebla.
- Pambazo / Mexican Porcini (Boletus spp.): The local equivalent of the European Porcini—deep, earthy flavor, perfectly suited for stews and root broths.
- Enchilado (Lactarius spp.): The mushroom that is slightly "spicy"—although the spiciness disappears with heat. Highly prized in the cuisine of the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca.
- Yema (Amanita caesarea and relatives): The most coveted of the season. The Mexican equivalent of the European Caesar's Amanita—an aristocratic mushroom whose presence in the market marks the peak of the season.
The Wisdom of the Female Foragers
In most Mexican mountain communities, mycological knowledge is the heritage of women. It is grandmothers and mothers who teach how to identify—by sight—which ones are edible and which are not, how they smell, how the color changes when cut, and the exact season for each species on every slope.
This orally transmitted knowledge, passed down through generations, is extraordinarily precise and, in many cases, predates the formal scientific description of the species involved by decades. Researchers like Roberto Garibay-Orijel from the UNAM Institute of Biology have documented in Zapotec communities of the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca the use of more than 60 different fungal species—with local names, specific uses, preparation techniques, and seasonality knowledge that doesn't exist in any scientific text.
The Problem: Knowledge at Risk
The migration of young people to cities, the loss of forest cover, the reduction of the rainy season due to climate change, and the aging of the communities that hold this knowledge are putting this heritage at risk. Researchers from the UNAM Institute of Biology warn that there are areas where mushroom foraging has ceased to be a community practice, and the associated knowledge is being lost without documentation.
The answer is not only academic—it is also cultural, gastronomic, and commercial. The new generation of Mexican chefs are reclaiming the wild Mexican mushroom as an ingredient of identity. Seasonal markets in cities like Oaxaca, Puebla, and Mexico City are gaining visibility. And brands like Simbiosis work to connect this universe with the urban public who do not have direct access to the forests.
Functional Mushrooms in Mexican Tradition
Beyond seasonal edible mushrooms, Mexico has its own tradition of using mushrooms for medicinal purposes—although historically less documented than in Asia. Colonial texts record mushroom preparations to treat wounds, infections, and gastrointestinal ailments in various Mesoamerican cultures. Huitlacoche (Ustilago maydis), the corn mushroom, was both food and medicine in the Mexica diet.
And mycological research in Mexico has its own prominent names: Dr. Gastón Guzmán from INECOL, Dr. Joaquín Cifuentes Blanco from UNAM, and the Micológica 360° collective have built over decades a body of knowledge about Mexican fungal diversity that is just beginning to connect with the global interest in functional mushrooms.
Simbiosis in this Context
Founded in 2014 in San Miguel de Allende, Simbiosis was born at this crossroads: traditional knowledge and contemporary scientific research, gastronomy and functional nutrition, the natural Mexican landscape and the global market for medicinal mushrooms.
Our foraging tours in the forests of the Sierra de Guanajuato are part of this purpose: not just to sell extracts, but to build a community that understands where mushrooms come from, how they function in ecosystems, why their conservation matters, and how to integrate them into daily life with knowledge and respect.
Hongosto is not just a shopping season. It's a reminder that we live on one of the richest natural heritages on the planet—and that the most powerful way to protect it is to know it.
→ Check out our upcoming foraging tours
→ The Fungi Kingdom: Everything you need to know
→ Educational resources on mycology
References: Garibay-Orijel R, Caballero J, Estrada-Torres A, Cifuentes J. (2007). Understanding cultural significance, the edible mushrooms case. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 3:4. doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-3-4