Amadou hats of Transylvania

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This page is dedicated to the endemic, and almost extinct craft of amadou leather processing from Transylvania.

Our aim is to spread this forgotten and almost obsolete knowledge as long as the last craftsmans are alive. Transylvania is the home of an unique craft, which is restricted to a single village. The crafting of amadou or tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius) it is only known from the Eastern part of Transylvania, where the native Seklers (descendants of Attila the Hun) are still make a living from this virtually unknown, disappearing craft. Unfortunately to 2016, only 3 craftsman remains, all of them above 60. Since the dawn of their existence the inhabitants of the village of Korond, make their income from pottery and woodcraft, several of them has specialized in crafting tinder fungus to make from it hats but also in some extent handbags for ladies and even ties, especially appreciated by mushroom collectors and hunters of aristocratic descent. The dry tinder fungus is a very light material, therefore is an ideal material for hats. An amadou hat, protects from the sun better than a canvas pit helmet. It is regarded in the local folklore to help the hair to grow. It has a strong anti-fungal and antibacterial action proved by a few high quoted scientific articles: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0926669015304702

In the past (from Iron Age to XIX century), before the matches were invented, fire was ignited with steel, flint and amadou. Therefore such a hat can serve in a survival situation as a natural fire starter. Only tinder fungus has been used to create this hat and a tiny amount of not toxic glue. The feathers used as a decoration are of Pheasant (Phasanus colchicus), a widespread gamebird of Europe and Asia. All hats are unique and can not be reproduced in the same way as all it depends on the size and texture of the fungus. The texture is similar with the natural Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) leather.

28/10/2026

Do you know what a Bancza sack is?

No, it isn't a new piece of hiking equipment, and you won't find it in the catalogue of any outdoor gear manufacturer! 😄

The Bancza zsák, or Bancza sack, is the traditional shoulder sack used by the amadou collectors of Korond, Transylvania. It was carried on the back while wandering through the beech forests in search of tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius), the remarkable bracket fungus from which amadou is made.

But who was Bancza Pali, and why are amadou craftsmen traditionally called Bancza ivadékai — “Bancza's descendants”?

According to local tradition, Bancza Pali was one of the earliest, if not the very first, amadou collectors of Korond. He collected the fungus in the mountains and supplied it to Filep János, the postmaster associated with the development of Korond's amadou craft.
Bancza Pali became a legendary character. Local folklore even credited him with magical powers. It was said that when he spent the night in the forest, he drew a protective circle around himself with a stick and recited spells that kept witches away! One story tells of seven women in red boots dancing around his circle and singing that he would find no amadou. Eventually, they had to give up and leave him alone.
Whether Bancza Pali really possessed supernatural powers is another question. But his legacy certainly survived!

The sack used to collect the fungus became known as the Bancza zsák, and the generations of amadou collectors who followed in his footsteps became known as Bancza ivadékai — his descendants. Not necessarily descendants by blood, but heirs to his craft and tradition.
And that is what I love about traditional crafts: sometimes an ordinary working tool preserves the memory of a person, a profession, and an entire community better than a monument ever could.
So, the next time you see an amadou collector carrying his sack into the forest, remember that he is carrying more than a bag. He is carrying a piece of Korond's living heritage.

Have you heard of Bancza Pali before? And do you know any other stories about the old amadou collectors of Korond?

P.S. Between us: if it will ever happens for me to meet seven women in red boots dancing around in the forest, for sure I won't say Bancza Pali's protective spell....

25/10/2026

Inside a tinder conk — the anatomy of Fomes fomentarius

A tinder conk is much more than a hard bracket growing on a tree. Its internal structure is a fascinating example of fungal architecture, with different tissues performing distinct functions.

Outer crust (pileipellis): the hard protective surface that shields the fungus from environmental damage.

Trama (context): the thick, corky internal tissue. When properly processed, this is the material known as amadou, traditionally used to make hats, pouches and other objects.

Spore-producing tubes (hymenophore): on the underside of the conk, thousands of tiny tubes open through pores. Their inner surfaces bear the hymenium, where spores are produced.
Stratified tube layers: as the perennial conk grows, successive layers of tubes develop. These layers record stages of growth, but they should not automatically be interpreted as precise annual rings; their formation does not necessarily correspond to exactly one year.
For amadou makers, the thick trama is the treasure hidden inside this woody-looking fungus. Understanding its anatomy helps us appreciate both its biological function and its remarkable traditional uses.
Further reading:
Zhao et al. (2024). Hierarchical structure and chemical composition of complementary segments of the fruiting bodies of Fomes fomentarius fungi fine-tune the compressive properties.
Yan et al. (2023). The complex structure of Fomes fomentarius represents an architectural design for high-performance ultralightweight materials. Science Advances.

Eröt, egészséget !

22/10/2026

THE ENEMIES OF AMADOU — WHEN INSECTS EAT OUR HATS!

Making a hat from amadou, the traditional tinder material obtained from the tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius), is a craft that connects us with one of the most fascinating fungi of our forests.

But there is a catch.

The tinder fungus is not merely a source of raw material for human crafts. It is also a small ecosystem, inhabited by a remarkable diversity of organisms, including insects whose larvae feed on its tissues.

Among the best-known inhabitants are:

🔬 Bolitophagus reticulatus, the black tinder fungus beetle, whose larvae and adults feed on the fungus.

🔬 Dorcatoma dresdensis, a tiny beetle whose larvae develop inside the fungal fruiting body.

🔬 Various minute tree-fungus beetles of the genus Cis, whose larvae also exploit fungal tissue.

And these are only a few members of a much larger community. Scientific research has documented an astonishing diversity of arthropods associated with Fomes fomentarius.

Unfortunately, some of these insects may continue their destructive work after the fungus has been harvested and transformed into amadou leather. The small holes in the photographs are a reminder that even a carefully handcrafted hat remains an organic material.

Can we protect our amadou hats?

The sensible first steps are to inspect the raw material, keep it separate from finished objects, store hats in sealed containers and investigate suitable insect-control treatments before applying them to valuable pieces.

I am particularly interested in identifying which species are responsible for this damage. The holes alone are not sufficient for a definitive identification, so observations of larvae, adults and fresh damage would be extremely useful.

If you have experience with amadou crafting, or have encountered similar damage, I would be delighted to hear from you.

Our traditional crafts are not separate from nature. They are part of it — and understanding the organisms that interact with our materials is another way of preserving that knowledge.

13/10/2026

Amadou hats and rain: a frequently asked question! 🍄🎩

To my surprise, even after a decade of preaching about amadou and its properties, I am still constantly asked how my amadou hats behave in the rain.

Then I realised that this is perfectly understandable: new people keep discovering and following my page, thanks in no small part to my loyal followers who have been here since the early years. A heartfelt thank you to all of you!

So, here is the answer.

Mushrooms are highly water-absorbent, and amadou — the processed inner tissue of the tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius) — is no exception. It readily takes up moisture when exposed to damp conditions.

Rain can alter the colour and texture of an amadou hat. Even worse, it can weaken or dissolve the bone glue we use to join pieces together and attach decorations. And believe me, whether we prepare the glue ourselves (the smell while boiling it is unforgettable! 🤮) or use commercial bone-glue powder, the result is much the same: water and bone glue are not friends.

The same applies to D3 glue, which we sometimes use as an alternative when needed.

Fortunately, there is a simple precaution.

If you intend to wear your amadou hat in humid weather or occasional rain, I recommend using a colourless, water-repellent spray designed for outdoor or trekking equipment.

Apply it the day before use, following the manufacturer's instructions, and allow the hat to dry thoroughly. Always test the product on a small, inconspicuous area first, as some treatments may alter the colour or texture of the amadou.

Of course, no spray turns amadou into plastic armour. Avoid prolonged exposure to rain or soaking, and allow the hat to dry naturally if it gets wet.

Traditional materials have their limitations, but understanding their properties allows us to work around them. The aim is not to change the nature of amadou, but to preserve its unique character while making it more practical to wear.

P.S. As I am currently abroad, the photograph was generated using three different pictures (ChatGPT), rather than taken in my workshop. 😊

12/10/2026

Karoly is holding the second-largest piece of amadou we have ever obtained from a single conk.

In the second picture, I am holding a truly enormous specimen of tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius).
One might assume that this is where that impressive piece of amadou leather came from. But let me tell you something: you would be wrong! 😊

As my wife would say, size doesn't matter — and when it comes to amadou, she is absolutely right!

Large conks are usually older, and their trama is often coarse, brittle, and lacking elasticity. They are also more likely to be damaged by insect larvae, whose tunnels can ruin an otherwise promising specimen.

On the other hand, a relatively small conk growing on the sunny side of a tree may develop an exceptionally thick trama as insulation against the sun. And those little beauties? BINGO! 🎯 That's where the real treasure lies.

So, gentlemen, useful and comforting information, isn't it? You can stop worrying about size and start looking at the quality!

11/10/2026

Have you ever wondered when humans first discovered the extraordinary properties of amadou, the prepared tinder made from the fruiting body of Fomes fomentarius, the tinder fungus?

The answer is surprisingly difficult.

Archaeological evidence published in Nature in 2025 revealed that humans were probably making fire around 400,000 years ago. At Barnham, England, researchers found fire-damaged flint handaxes and fragments of iron pyrite, a mineral capable of producing sparks when struck with a suitable stone.

But what caught those sparks?

We do not know. No tinder fungus was identified at the site.

The archaeological record offers some fascinating clues. At Star Carr, a Mesolithic site in England dating to approximately 11,000 years ago, researchers recovered remains of Fomes fomentarius, including specimens that had been burnt or modified. These finds have been interpreted as possible evidence of tinder preparation and use.

Several thousand years later, the famous Iceman, Ötzi, carried a quantity of prepared tinder made from the same fungus. His equipment, preserved in an Alpine glacier for more than five millennia, provides compelling evidence that people deliberately collected and processed amadou.

Yet amadou was not the only option. At the Early Neolithic settlement of La Draga in northeastern Spain, researchers identified several other species of bracket fungi. Their abundance, distribution and condition suggest that people collected and stored them, probably for practical purposes including tinder.

So, which came first: tinder fungi or flint fire-making?

We cannot yet answer that question.

People may have used plant fibres, bark, dry grass or fungi to preserve and transfer embers from natural fires long before they learned to produce sparks themselves. And although the archaeological evidence for deliberate spark-making reaches back hundreds of thousands of years, the materials used to catch those sparks may have been organic and have long since disappeared.

Nor can we establish whether friction fire-making, using wood, preceded percussion methods involving stone and pyrite. Both techniques are ancient, and the archaeological record is far from complete.

One thing is clear: the history of fire is not merely the history of producing a spark. It is also the history of recognising, preparing and preserving the right material to turn that spark into a lasting ember and, ultimately, a flame.

Perhaps the true history of amadou began long before the oldest surviving specimen. We may never discover the exact moment when someone first recognised its remarkable properties. But every archaeological find brings us a little closer to understanding this ancient relationship between humans, fungi and fire.

References for further reading:

• Davis et al. (2026). Earliest evidence of making fire. Nature.

• Robson (2018). The Star Carr Fungi

• Peintner, Pöder & Pümpel (1998). The Iceman's fungi.

• Berihuete-Azorín et al. (2018). Punk’s not dead. Fungi for tinder at the Neolithic site of La Draga.

Picture source: internet

07/10/2026

Amadou leather courses have a single goal: to pass on the secrets of this ancient craft.

Hundreds of otherwise forgotten crafts have disappeared over the last 200 years, either because of industrialisation or simply because they became obsolete.
And when the last craftsman dies, he takes with him the knowledge that may never be recovered.

Amadou processing is at least as old as flint knapping — a craft that disappeared thousands of years ago. Yet today, only two families of amadou craftsmen are still active, and only one of them is willing to pass this knowledge on.

That is why I urge some of you to learn it.
Pair it with a holiday, a retreat, or simply a few days away from your usual life. Just come, learn it, and help ensure that this knowledge survives us.

Yes, the cost is $500 per person. You may ask why.
Well, during those days we are with you and away from our regular work. Meals are included, as are all facilities. In winter, the cost of heating with electricity alone barely covers the expenses — and this winter, it probably won't.
But we still believe that one day, someone will take this knowledge further, preserve it, and make sure that the small secrets of amadou processing do not disappear altogether.
Some crafts are not just things we make. They are pieces of human history. Once they are gone, they are gone forever.
So learn it while there is still someone who can teach you.

The timing of the courses are self tailored in order to give you a chance to travel when is possible for you.

02/10/2026

Two new hat orders arrived in the last few days, from two rather surprising places for me. 😊
The first one is from Finland — one of the two European countries, together with Estonia, whose native language belongs to the Uralic language family, like our Hungarian.
The second order is from Japan — and this is a first for me! 🇯🇵
I would be very surprised if this craft had not been known somewhere in Japan in the past. Does anyone know if amadou (Fomes fomentarius) was traditionally used there for making hats or other objects? I would be very curious to know.
Below you can see a very short time-lapse of how a hat is born — in only three weeks, from harvesting the conk to the finished hat.😊

From the forest to the finished hat.

26/09/2026

Profesor Sveta Yamin-Pasternak is always a tremendous source of inspiration for me.

What if the key of a succesful bank robbery is also the conk/amadou ?

21/09/2026

Hat No. 3 is on its way to Michael the Drummer in the USA! 🎩🍄

Even with the sharp increase in shipping costs, the price of my hats has remained unchanged for the last three years. Unfortunately, taxes and postage are becoming increasingly painful for both maker and customer.

How is it in your country?
Are you experiencing the same?

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