What is a "Gunski", and will it kill you?

[Dave W]

I have brought this topic up on this website in the past, and got some help from a few different members. (I believe it was troutdicted who had some of the best information.) 

For many years I had tried to figure out what people around here (NE PA) mean when they say they pick "Gunskis" late in the season. My father recalled picking these edibles many years ago, but he couldn't quite find a way to describe them well enough for me to formulate an opinion about what the technical/scientific name was. As time went by, and I continued to speak with local mushroom hunters about Gunskis, I started to get the idea that the name is locally applied to several different types of mushrooms, actually species from two different genera, Tricholoma and Hygrophorus. 

The edible Hygrophorus species H. flavodiscus and H. fuligineus --respectively yellow capped and gray capped-- grow late in the mushroom season under white pine. They have white gills, white spore print, and slimy/sticky caps often with adhering pine needles and other forest litter.  

Tricholoma equestre (aka. T. flavovirens) and T. portentosum --respectively yellow capped and gray capped-- are late-season pine associates, although the types of pines are usually two/three needle pines other than the five-needle white pine. These types of mushrooms had traditionally been consumed by people in different countries throughout the world. But a serious shadow of doubt has recently been cast upon the presumed edibility of these mushrooms. (*For a more detailed discussion of the controversial edibility of these Tricholoma species, see the paragraph headed with an asterisk near the end of this post.) These have white or yellow gills, white spore prints, and sticky caps often with adhering pine needles and other forest litter. These Tricholoma mushrooms lack partial veil (annulus), whereas the two Hygrophorus species mentioned have slimy veils, but the veils are fleeting and don't form well-defined rings on the stalks. (Sometimes a slimy band near the apex of the Hygrophorus stalk is seen.)  

Jack Czarnecki, author of the classic mushroom cookbook  "Joe's Book of Mushroom Cookery", calls Tricholomas "gaski". This seemed to me to sound somewhat similar to "Gunski". Once I became adept at searching for info on the internet, I discovered that the Polish language includes its own versions of genus/species binomials, and that Gaska --which I believe is likely pronounced gah'-shka-- means Tricholoma. I'm not sure if it's officially appropriate for the Polish language to include "gaski" (gah'-shkee) as a plural version of gaska, but I imagine this usage would be adopted by Poles as an application of replacing "a" with "i" in order to pluralize a noun. Given that my local area includes many descendants of Polish immigrants, it seems likely that "Gunski" represents an adaptation of "gaski". Also, some locals refer to the yellow Trichs --T. equestre-- as "Jelunkies". This I have attributed to its Polish genus/species name Gaska zielonka. Apparently "Jelunki" is an adaptation of "zeilonka". (In Polish, a leading "z" is pronounced somewhat like an English "j". 

But... some locals say "Gunchky", presumably as an alternate to "Gunski". At least this is what I had thought until a week or so ago when I met a recent Polish immigrant who was collecting "Slipper Jacks" (Suillus luteus). I questioned him on the usage of these words. I didn't quite get the gist of everything he had to say. But, he seemed to indicate that Gunski and Gunchky referred to different types of mushrooms. Then he showed me a photo of what he called Gunski... It looked like a group of Chanterelles...!? So I asked him  if Gunskis were the same as Chanterelles, and he said "yes"...?!? I have since looked up the Polish names for Chanterelle and found "kurka", "liszka", "pieprznik", but nothing resembling Gunski. (This guy did verify my "Jelunki" hypothesis.) 

So, although I thought I had figured all this out, now I'm feeling confused again. Gunksi? Gunhcky? 

Could it be that the Hygrophorus mushrooms are aptly named either Gunski or Gunchky? I have yet to find any information on the use of Hygrophorus mushrooms as food in Poland. But, I still believe what I had thought I figured out years back. The resemblance of the Hygrophorus mushrooms to Tricholomas, late-season occurrence under pine, and the fact that the Tricholomas are somewhat uncommon in my area --whereas the Hygrophorus mushrooms, particularly H. flavodiscus, are very common-- have resulted in local mushroom hunters adopting the name Gunski (Gunchky?) to the Hygrophorus mushrooms. Until someone provides me with a better explanation, I'm sticking with this idea.

*We now consider the issue of the edibility of the Tricholomas. Some species of Tricholoma are known to cause illness, mainly flu-like symptoms that may be fairly pronounced, but pass. These types have never been recommended as food, and virtually every field guide --even old ones-- list several species as "poisonous". But, T. equestre and T. portentosum have long been considered choice edible species... until sometime just after the year 2000, when several deaths in Poland and France were attributed to the consumption of T. equestre!!! In each case, members of a family had eaten T. equestre in large quantities on each of several consecutive days. As far as I know, it has not been determined if the mushrooms were well-cooked. Victims had consumed roughly 8-16 ounces of T. equestre during each of 3-4 consecutive days. Symptoms were similar to rhabdomyolysis, a serious disease associated with acute muscle injury and kidney failure. Since the reports of these incidents, research has been conducted and there have been claims made that the presence of the likely toxin has been detected in T. equestre... as well as in T. portentosum. But,  these claims are not universally accepted. The following hypotheses have been advanced. 1. The toxic Tricholomas were collected from a polluted habitat. 2. Tricholoma mushrooms contain a volatile toxin that is removed by thorough cooking. 3. Tricholoma mushrooms contain a substance that humans tolerate in moderate amounts, but beyond some tipping point the substance is highly toxic. 4. Some individuals are predisposed to poisoning of the type associated with T. equestre. 5. The combination of Tricholoma with certain other foods is apt to trigger a negative reaction. There seems to be some evidence that pheasant meat may contribute to the illness. 6. The name "Tricholoma equestre" actually refers to a group of closely related species, at least one of which (but not all) is toxic. 

Once upon a time I used to eat Tricholoma equestre whenever I found them. One year --2002 I think, before I learned about the Polish/French incidents-- a very large fruiting occurred on my own property, under white pine (which in my experience, is an unusual occurrence). I consumed quite a few T. equestre that fall, without any noticeable adverse effects. Since that year, I can count on one hand the T. equestre mushrooms that I have found under these same white pines on my property. (Zero this year, which is the median as per my annual observations.) After learning the details of the poisoning incidents, for about 10 years I stopped eating Tricholomas. But, plenty of people in my locale have continued to eat both T. equestre and T. portentosum. (Good  Gunski spots are out there, but generally kept secret... or is it Gunchky spots...?)  So, I have now cautiously adopted the attitude that consuming an occasional portion of well-cooked Tricholoma followed by at least two days of refraining from eating any more of them is probably okay for me. I had a meal of mixed T. equestre and T. portentosum two days ago, and nothing bad has happened. But,  please note: I am not recommending that anyone consume Tricholomas. However, given that people apparently continue to eat these mushrooms, I think it's a good idea to provide this information. 

As for the Hygrophorus mushrooms that at least some folks call Gunskis... As far as I know, these types are harmless. 

 

[Lily]

Dave, It is horrible! I read your post, didn't know "Tricholoma equestre (aka. T. flavovirens) and T. portentosum" . So I searched Chinese web-

https://m.sohu.com/n/475255476/     It says  People have different physique.  Some people eat this kind of mushroom are ok, and some people will be poisoned.There are 3-4 days after the mushroom poisoning, which may be thought to be the other cause.
People who are not sick may not eat enough to reach the threshold of the disease, making them mistaken for the mushroom to be safe.