Porcini

Boletus spp.

mushroom

Large fleshy boletes of the northern hemisphere, with a greasy brown cap, paler towards the edge, often rimmed in white; under the cap, tubes rather than gills. The penny bun is one of the four noble boletes. They provide beta-glucans, ergothioneine and vitamin D.

Origin

Temperate forests of Europe

Season (United States)

August to November · grows in your region

Preparation

In large ones, the soft sponge under the cap is removed. Its most common look-alike, the bitter bolete, is not deadly, but so bitter that it ruins the dish and can cause vomiting: the pattern of the network covering the stem is the surest way to tell them apart. If you pick it yourself, have the mushroom checked by a pharmacist or a mycological society before eating it.

Molecules

Mushroom beta-glucans · Ergothioneine · Vitamin D

Did you know?

The porcini cannot be cultivated: it lives in obligatory symbiosis with tree roots.