Goa, July 23 -- A seasonal forest delicacy long treasured by indigenous communities in eastern India is finding nationwide fame thanks to social media. Rugda mushroom, also known as putu, boda or rugra, has gone viral on Instagram, where recipe videos featuring the rare ingredient have garnered millions of views, introducing many people to a food that has traditionally been available only for a few weeks during the monsoon.

Rugda (Astraeus hygrometricus) grows naturally beneath the forest floor in sal forests across Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and parts of West Bengal. Unlike common mushrooms such as button or oyster varieties, rugda cannot be commercially cultivated because it depends on a natural symbiotic relationship with the roo...