Edible macrofungi of Edremit Gulf (Balikesir) in Turkey

Gulf of Edremit is an important center of trade, coupled with its sandy beaches, shores and towns that are surrounded by green olive trees (Ayvalik, Edremit, Burhaniye and Havran). It is also one of the largest districts of Balikesir Province. Macrofungi are ideal food for people because they have a fairly high content of protein which contains all of the essential amino acids. They are also a source of dietary fibre, and are virtually free of cholesterol. The edible native fungi are cultivated and exported to the markets by many countries. This study was done based on the edible macrofungi specimens collected from Edremit Gulf (Edremit, Havran, Burhaniye) between 2007 and 2009. The collected fungi samples were photographed and their morphological and ecological properties and information gathered from the rural people were noted in the field notebook. Fungi were investigated morphologically in the laboratory, and then samples were dried in the oven to preserve them as herbarium samples. 10 edible fungi species belonging to nine families were identified. Six of them are consumed by local people and sold in local markets.