Knowledge and utilization of edible mushrooms by local populations of the rain forest of south Cameroon

Indigenous knowledge of edible fungi and their utilization by local populations were investigated in southern Cameroon from 1996 to 1999. Some 100 participants from the major ethnic groups, comprising Bantu farmers and Bagyeli (Pygmy) hunter-gatherers, were interviewed. Mushroom usage by 30 families, (319 persons), was monitored daily for over a year. Mushroom knowledge among both groups was extensive. Over 50 vernacular names were provided by respondents. In Bantu households, women and children, and to some extent hunters, harvest mushrooms. In contrast, the whole Bagyeli household participates. Bantu harvest mushrooms preferentially in secondary forests while Bagyeli collect them predominantly in primary forests. Mushroom consumption is low for both groups, 1.1 and 1.4 kg of fresh mushrooms per person per year, respectively, a rate that is much lower than in central and eastern Africa. The apparent discrepancy between extensive mushroom knowledge and rather infrequent mushroom consumption probably relates to the social valuation of mushrooms.     

喀麦隆南部雨林中当地人关于食用菌的知识及其利用

引言 几个世纪来,刚果-几内亚盆地中定居的班图农夫和居住在森林中的Bagyeli(俾格米人)一直用食用菌来充实和丰富他们的食谱.这样说来,食用菌的消费和利用已成为长期传统和文化习俗的组成部分.在东非和中非各地,已进行了一些民族真菌学研究.