Porcini

How to recognise it: porcini

1. 1

   Pale, fine network on the upper part of the stem (not dark)

2. 2

   Pores white, then yellow-green – never pink or red

3. 3

   Flesh white, does not turn blue when cut

4. 4

   Taste mild, not bitter

5. 5

   Cap smooth, not suede-like

Description

Cap

Usually 6–25 cm across; whitish or pale when young, later hazelnut-brown to dark brown, often with a paler margin. Surface smooth or wrinkled, not suede-like, slightly sticky when wet.

Tubes and pores

Tubes and pores white when young, then yellow, yellow-green to olive-green; pores fine, do not change colour when pressed. Spore print olive-brown.

Stem

Thick, barrel-shaped when young, later club-shaped, whitish to light brown; a delicate, pale (whitish) network in the upper part.

Flesh

White, firm, brownish under the cap cuticle; does not change colour when cut.

Smell and taste

Smell pleasant, intense when dried; taste mild, nutty.

Where and when it grows

Coniferous, broadleaf and mixed forests, preferring conifers; most abundant in mountain spruce forests. Acidic soils, avoids calcareous ones. Less common in the lowlands, rare near large cities.

Most often with: spruce, pine, beech, birch, oak, fir

Where are conditions good today?

Look-alikes: what it can be mistaken for

• 

  Bitter bolete Inedible medium risk

  The bitter bolete (called “szatan”, “satan”, in Polish) is very similar, especially when young with white pores. Differences: the bitter bolete has a distinct, dark brown, wide-meshed network on the stem, pores that turn pink with age, a pink spore print and an extremely bitter taste (touch a tiny piece with your tongue and spit it out). It is not dangerously poisonous, but a single fruit body ruins the whole dish.

• 

  Summer cep Edible low risk

  The summer cep has a suede-like, often cracked, paler cap and a more distinct network over the whole stem; it grows mainly under oaks and beeches. The mistake does not matter – both are edible.

• 

  Bay bolete Edible low risk

  The bay bolete has no network on the stem (only lengthwise fibrils), and its pores and flesh turn slightly blue when pressed. Edible.

• 

  Devil's bolete Poisonous low risk

  The devil's bolete (very rare, protected, poisonous) has a greyish-white cap, red pores, a carmine stem with a reddish network and flesh that turns blue – the porcini never has red pores.

  Step-by-step comparison: Porcini or devil's bolete →

In the kitchen

Versatile: drying (the dried mushroom stays pale and very aromatic), soups (including the Christmas Eve soup), pierogi with cabbage and mushrooms, sauces, risotto, frying, pickling. Young, firm fruit bodies are best.

Protection and sale

• Species protection: the species is not protected.
• Sale: the species is on the list of mushrooms approved for sale (it may be sold only with a mushroom inspector’s certificate). On the Ministry of Health (MZ) list as “borowik szlachetny (prawdziwek – all varieties)”.

Where you may pick mushrooms →