AMS Spring Mushroom Talk Series:

Zachary Hunter - Ethnomycology and ecological diversity of Oaxaca with a culinary focus

It has been estimated that indigenous Mexicans consume about 300 species of edible mushrooms country-wide throughout its eight climate regions, one of the most climate diverse countries in the world. All of Mexico’s climates are found in the Southern State of Oaxaca. Despite its inclusion geographically in North America, the country of Mexico is quite foreign when compared to the US and Canada in its attitudes toward mushrooms and mushroom foraging. The difference, even more pronounced in Oaxaca, is more than just a language barrier, though that plays a significant role: despite Spanish being the dominant language, there are more than 16 official language groups spoken throughout this state alone. More than half of the political regions in Oaxaca are self-governed autonomous democracies. This governance naturally extends into a sustenance-based relationship to the land itself–land that has been continuously occupied in some places by the same people for over 12,000 years. There are no mushrooms picking permits: nothing can be removed from the land–nor even access granted–without express permission of the community. In this presentation, Chef Zachary Mazi attempts to tackle the barriers in understanding this delicate relationship, and discuss the intricate web of food-life-forest-community that underlies the unique management of these diverse and incredible ethnomycological regions whose wisdom holds so much potential for learning for the rest of North America.

Zachary Hunter is a lifelong devotee to flavor, a professionally trained chef who has been obsessed with mushrooms and uncovering the unknown with regards to edible mushroom chemistry and physiology. He is a member of the NAMA's (North American Mycological Association) Culinary Committee. He lives in Oaxaca, Mexico with his wife Kim, where the run MycoAdventures in the mountains of Oaxaca and beyond.

Once registered for this FREE AMS event, you will receive a reminder email before the meeting with the zoom link.

This meeting will also be recorded.