Žiūros village hosts 23rd mushroom foraging championship

The 23rd annual mushroom foraging championship took place in the ethnographic village of Žiūros, Varėna district. The event attracted 43 teams of both experienced and novice foragers from Lithuania and abroad.

During the two-hour competition, participants were permitted to collect three types of mushrooms: porcini, red mushrooms, and chanterelles. In total, the teams collected 428 kilograms of mushrooms. The winning team, ‘Slaunos mergos’ from Žiūros, gathered over 49.9 kilograms.

Other notable winners included the second-place team ‘Nakcižibis’ and the third-place team ‘Pirmas kartas’ from Alytus. Special prizes were awarded to the youngest participant, 1-year-old Džiugas Mumecka, and the oldest, 86-year-old Apolinaras. The largest porcini mushroom found weighed 550 grams.

Taiwanese Ambassador Constance Wang presented a special prize to the winners. Varėna District Mayor Algis Kašeta noted that the international championship serves as a way to preserve Dzūkija traditions and bring communities together.