Rugra

Astraeus hygrometricus · Rugda · putka · khukhdi

Three weeks a year, foraged from sal forest, and gone.

What it is

Rugra is a wild fungus that grows at and just below the soil surface in sal forest, appearing only after the first heavy rains. Each one is roughly the size of a grape or a marble, with a tough grey-brown skin and a dense dark interior. The texture is closer to meat than to a cultivated mushroom, which is the whole basis of its reputation.

Where it comes from

Jharkhand and the Chhattisgarh fringe, foraged by Adivasi communities who dig it from the forest floor and sell it in small heaps at roadside markets for the few weeks it exists. It is not cultivated anywhere, and every attempt to do so has failed.

What it's called

Rugra · rugda · putka · khukhdi. Often described locally as vegetarian mutton, which says more about how it is valued than how it tastes.

In the kitchen

It arrives full of grit and needs washing several times over. Then it is cooked simply — onion, garlic, tomato, a little turmeric and chilli — because the point is the fungus. It does not need long cooking and turns rubbery if it gets it.

What we know about the claims

Nothing established. Its nutritional profile is that of a mushroom, and the interest in it is cultural and seasonal rather than medicinal.

Choosing and buying

Effectively unobtainable outside its region and its short season; it is not exported. King oyster mushroom, cut into thick rounds, is the working substitute — it gives the density if not the earth.