Mushrooms and the Yoruba People of Nigeria

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The Yoruba occupy both Western State and Lagos State as well as parts of Kwara and Midwestern States of Nigeria. How the Yoruba relate to and use mushrooms in their daily lives was studied, research being carried out in Western State. Yoruba names for the different fungi are listed and translated into English, activities of the people during fungus forays are described and beliefs about fungi are given. Botanical names of the fungi are also given. Edible mushrooms were named according to taste, morphology, growth habit, texture and habitat. After collecting mushrooms in the forests, the women sometimes bring them in large baskets to the main roads where they are displayed at the roadside for purchase. In most cases the women carry the mushrooms into the village or town for sale. Mushrooms collected in a day are usually cooked the same day. In general, prior to cooking, the pileus and stipe are cut into pieces and suspended for a time in cold water to which table salt has been added. This is to kill organisms, such as maggots, which might be present in the gills of the mushrooms. The fungi are then rinsed in cold water and boiled with enough salt to sweeten them. One test of toxicity is to feed the fruiting bodies to chickens, in the belief that any mushroom that can be eaten by chickens is safe. Unfortunately, this method is not completely trustworthy. In olden days the belief was held that the growth of Termitomyces robustus was controlled by a god. Thus, the people used to make an annual offering of a white hen to appease this god. Another belief, held by many today, is that T. robustus drops from the skies with the rain.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: