Bitter bolete – almost identical to the popular porcini mushroom

You are walking through the forest and see a beautiful mushroom that looks almost like the “king of mushrooms” – the porcini or cep (Boletus edulis), but you cannot get rid of the feeling that something is wrong with this one. Maybe pinkish parts, maybe the prominent mesh pattern on the stipe, the colour of the entire mushroom is slightly off… However, if you took a bite, you probably spit it out immediately due to the unpleasant bitterness. Yes, you just mistaken the bitter bolete (Tylopilus felleus) for porcini. Most mushroom pickers do not collect it, but there are still some people who consume this mushroom.

Bitter but beautiful mushroom

The appearance of the bitter bolete is very pleasing. It is very similar to spruce or oak mushrooms but the tubes are usually pinkish. If not, they will turn pink if you touch them. The dark brown reticulum on stipe is also typical. If you use it in a stir-fry or other dish, you will destroy the dish. But there is an old saying that improves its bad reputation. Our ancestors used to say that where the bitter bolete grows no diseases survive.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

Calms down irritated stomach

Some people dry the bitter bolete and grind the dried mushrooms into a powder and use it in tea for example, but there are other uses too. It is believed to calm down an upset stomach. Bitterness is generally good for upset stomach. In Germany, these mushrooms were purchased from mushroom pickers in large quantities in the 1980’s, and were then used by the health industry, as it was believed that the biter bolete can stop cancer from growing.

Photo: Zdeněk Pelda

Vegetable milk eliminates the bitterness

You can find this information in many recipes published on websites. Bitter bolete is cut into slices and soaked in vegetable milk for half an hour and then fried in oil with cumin and salt. After about 15 minutes, all water should be eliminated from the flesh and you should be able to use it as any edible mushroom. The bitterness should almost disappear…about 80% they say. If you believe in medicinal properties of this mushroom, you can try it, however, when many edible and tasty mushrooms are available… well, why should you bother? We have not tried the bitter bolete yet.

Source: https://www.jimejinak.cz/lecivy-hrib-horcak-zabiji-rakovinu/
https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hřib_žlučn%C3%ADk

Preview photo: Radek Štěpán