Mushroom dishes
wild mushrooms preserved with vinegar and spices
winter preserves tradition
Wild mushrooms, marinade, vinegar, bay leaves, peppercorns, jars, cold table, Kūčios
Mushrooms in marinade, Mushrooms for winter
Pickling and fermenting
Marinuoti grybai are preserved with vinegar and spices. This differs from fermentation, where acid develops during the fermentation process.
Both methods belong to winter provisioning, but their flavor and safety logic differ.
Which mushrooms work
Firm, clean, precisely identified mushrooms are pickled. Boletes, aspen boletes, birch boletes, honey mushrooms, and other locally known species are often used. According to the Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia, more than 5,000 edible mushroom species are known worldwide, about 400 in Lithuania, and mushrooms are prepared fresh, frozen, dried, salted, or pickled.
Mixing mushroom species is possible only when you know well that they all suit the same preparation.
Marinade flavor
Bay leaves, black pepper, allspice, salt, sugar, and vinegar form the classic base. Sugar is not for making a dessert; it balances the acidity.
Some recipes add onions, garlic, or oil, but oil in preserves requires caution.
Serving
Pickled mushrooms go with boiled potatoes, herring, cold meat dishes, the Kūčios table, and winter appetizers.
Before serving, they may be drained and seasoned with onion or a little oil.
Recipe
How to pickle mushrooms
Use only accurately identified edible mushrooms. The marinade must be acidic enough, and the jars must be clean.
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg cleaned edible mushrooms
- 1 l water for the marinade
- 120 ml 9% vinegar
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1.5 tbsp sugar
- 4 bay leaves
- 10 black peppercorns
- 5 allspice berries
Method
- Clean and cut the mushrooms, then pre-boil according to species. Discard the first cooking water.
- Bring the marinade of water, salt, sugar, vinegar, and spices to a boil.
- Add the mushrooms to the marinade and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Pack the hot mushrooms into clean jars, cover with marinade, and close.
- Cool and store in a cool place. Taste only after making sure the jar has kept well.
Notes
Different mushroom species may need different pre-boiling times.
If the lid is bulging, there is a bad smell, or mold appears, do not eat the product.
