Melki and pine mushrooms in Turkey: which species?

Which mushroom are melki and pine mushroom?

In most regions, melki and pine mushroom are local names for the saffron milk cap, Lactarius deliciosus. According to Sözcü, this mushroom is also known as çıntar, çam mantarı, melki and gelincik mantarı; it grows wild in pine forests, under pines, in moist, humus-rich soil. The orange-red milk it bleeds when broken is its most important identification feature.

So a mushroom sold as melki in one place and as pine mushroom in another is often the same species. But not always: several milkcaps (Lactarius) are gathered under the same names in Turkey, and one name can mean different species in different regions. Here we trace the names melki and pine mushroom; we map the names more broadly in çıntar vs saffron milk cap.

Where is the name melki used, and for which species?

In our sources the name melki stands out in two areas, along the Balıkesir–Kütahya line and in Bolu, and it refers to a different species in each. According to a Cumhuriyet report from Sındırgı, melki is a red mushroom that appears in autumn among pines at high altitude in the Sındırgı–Simav area; the pine woods and the traits of the saffron milk cap group show up here too.

Bolu is different. According to Küre Ansiklopedi, the Bolu kanlıca is Lactarius salmonicolor; in Bolu it is also called melki, ebişek and elicek, grows in forests with fir on needle-covered, limy soils, and is registered as a protected place-of-origin product with the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office. Wikipedia also notes that this species grows mainly near the roots of fir and fruits from September to November.

We describe a route through Bolu's fir and beech forests on our Bolu Yedigöller page, and one near Balıkesir's mountains on our Kaz Mountains page. All routes are on our foraging routes page.

• Sındırgı–Simav (Balıkesir–Kütahya): melki; under pine, red in colour (Cumhuriyet).
• Bolu: kanlıca, melki, ebişek, elicek; Lactarius salmonicolor, in fir forest (Küre Ansiklopedi).
• Aegean, Mediterranean, Marmara and Black Sea pine woods: kanlıca, çıntar, pine mushroom, melki, gelincik; Lactarius deliciosus (Sözcü).

What do red, white and purple melki mean?

Red melki is the most sought-after kind at market and belongs to the saffron milk cap group; which species white and purple melki are is not stated in our sources. The Cumhuriyet report says red melki is the most prized in Sındırgı and that white and purple kinds are sold too, but gives no species names for them.

Red tones appear in the saffron milk cap group in two ways: in the orange-red milk of the saffron milk cap and in the blood-red to purple milk of the bloody milk cap (Lactarius sanguifluus). We give no edibility verdict for the white and purple kinds. The rule is simple: if the milk isn't orange or red, it isn't the saffron milk cap group, and a mushroom of unknown species is not eaten.

What are pırnal melkisi, çam göbeği and white pine mushroom?

We found no reliable source showing which species the names pırnal melkisi, çam göbeği and white pine mushroom refer to, so we give no species name or edibility verdict for them. For mushrooms searched for or sold under these names, the only sound step is to ask the seller or forager for the scientific name and check the mushroom with your own eyes.

The names do contain clues. Pırnal is the Turkish name for holm oak; an orange mushroom under oak is not the pine-loving saffron milk cap. The word white clashes with the group's distinctive colour. Çam göbeği says the mushroom grows under pine, but poisonous species grow under pine too. A name tells you a place or a colour, not a species.

When you come across names like these, the questions to ask are short: Which tree was it picked under? Does it bleed milk when broken, and what colour? Does the seller know the scientific name? If any answer is unclear, not buying is the safest choice.

How do you recognise the pine mushroom?

The pine mushroom (saffron milk cap) is recognised by four signs together: orange milk, an orange cap with concentric rings, green staining where handled, and a pine tree. As Sözcü stresses, the orange-red milk released when it is cut is the key sign, and extra care is needed where there are no pines, because similar species grow there. Wikipedia notes that the species has been recorded in black pine and Turkish red pine forests in Cyprus; both pines are widespread in Turkey too.

• Milk: a broken gill bleeds orange or orange-red milk, not white.
• Cap: carrot-orange with darker rings; the margin is bare, not woolly.
• Green staining: handled or cut areas slowly turn green.
• Tree: pine (fir for the Bolu melki); not birch or oak.

The poisonous species most often confused with it is the woolly milkcap (Lactarius torminosus): white milk, a woolly cap margin, grows under birch. See our article on saffron milk cap look-alikes for a detailed comparison.

Under which trees and in which months do they appear?

Melki and pine mushrooms appear in autumn, after rain, under conifers. Sözcü writes that the saffron milk cap is gathered mainly in autumn, from September to December, and lists Bolu, Düzce, Kastamonu, Muğla, Antalya and the area around İzmir among the best-known areas. According to the Cumhuriyet report, the search for melki in Sındırgı usually begins around 20–25 October, and in some villages the mushrooms come late when rainfall is low.

The fir-forest melki of Bolu comes earlier: Küre Ansiklopedi gives late August, September and October as the harvest. See which species fruit in which month in our mushroom calendar, regional timing for the saffron milk cap in when is saffron milk cap season, and Turkish observation records on our mushroom map.

What to check when picking or buying them

When picking melki or buying it at market, check the milk of every mushroom, the cap margin and whether another species has got into the crate. Some folk rules quoted in the news as signs of poisonous mushrooms are misleading. “A mushroom that bleeds milk when broken is poisonous” is wrong: melki and the saffron milk cap bleed milk themselves. Rules such as “no insects around it means poisonous” or “yellow underneath means poisonous” don't hold either.

The reliable way is to identify the species by its features and leave any mushroom you are unsure of. Sözcü's warning points the same way: because the saffron milk cap has poisonous look-alikes, only people who know it well should pick it, or it should be bought from a trusted seller. We compare the poisonous look-alikes in detail in saffron milk cap look-alikes. If you suspect poisoning, call 112 without waiting for symptoms and contact the National Poison Information Centre on 114.

• Gently break a gill on every mushroom and check that the milk is orange or red.
• Set aside any mushroom with a woolly, fringed cap margin.
• Don't buy from a crate where mushrooms of different appearance are mixed.
• Don't buy mushrooms picked by the roadside; they can accumulate heavy metals.

How should melki be stored and cooked?

Melki spoils quickly; it is best cleaned and cooked the day it is picked or bought. Spanish chefs quoted by Directo al Paladar say saffron milk caps should be eaten within 24 hours at most and kept unwashed, in an open container or paper bag, in the least cold part of the fridge; for longer keeping there are drying, freezing or preserving in oil.

To cook, brush off the soil first, rinse briefly in cold water if needed and dry straight away, then cook through in a hot pan or as a sauté. For a traditional preparation, see our saffron milk cap sauté. Melki and saffron milk caps are not eaten raw.