Cueva de las Setas
Little is known about the Cueva de las Setas (Cave of the Mushrooms) until now, because nothing has been published. This information comes from the older locals who still remember it. The cave is named after the mushrooms grown inside it and was created by a French-Swiss man named Enrique Tabourot Aupecle. After fleeing a German prisoner camp, he came to Spain, married a local woman and lived through the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) in Madrid. In the 1940s, he came to Granada with his wife, and nephew, setting up a fountain pen workshop in Puerta Real.
Aupede was above all a pioneer, introducing the mushroom to Granada’s cuisine. In the upper part of the town of Cájar, known as Bellavista, he found an ideal place to cultivate mushrooms and with only a pick and shovel he dug out a cave to grow them. The underground series of galleries in the cave contained mounds of manure arranged in order and covered with sand to conserve moisture. Using a large metal and cork refrigerator, which he ordered specifically to preserve the harvested mushrooms, they were then packed in brown paper cartridges and sold to the best restaurants, bars, and hotels in Granada.
This proved to be a lucrative business during the late 1950s and early 1960s. No one knows why the business stopped operating after that time. The cave has had several owners over the years but is currently owned by the Cájar City Council. Located in Parque de las Setas.