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Picking mushrooms in the forest is often associated with the difficulty of determining the species. In order to find intact specimens, you need to know not only the external description of edible varieties, but also the main habitats. The common boletus belongs to the species of spongy cap mushrooms. It is also called obabok or birch.
Where does the common boletus mushroom grow
Obabok, or common boletus, begins to appear on the edges of mixed forests with the advent of summer and grows there until late autumn. It got its name due to the fact that it forms mycorrhiza with birches. This means a close symbiotic relationship with the roots of the tree. Most often, this species is collected in mixed forests, where birches occupy a leading position or at least occur (for example, in spruce plantations). Common boletus is common in mainland Europe, they also grow in North America.
What does a common boletus look like
According to the external description, the common boletus is easy to distinguish from other varieties. Its parameters are often used to show a typical representative of a class:
- Hat. The shade of the cap can be light gray (in young specimens) or dark brown (in old fruiting bodies). Rounded or hemispherical, it reaches 15 cm in diameter. After rain or dew, the hat may be covered with a small amount of mucus. Under the dark thin skin of the surface, white flesh is hidden, which darkens slightly when broken and has a characteristic mushroom smell.
- Leg. It can reach 15 cm in length, and 3 cm in girth. Solid, semi-cylindrical, the leg slightly expands towards the surface of the earth. In adult specimens, its pulp becomes hard, fibrous, and watery after being cut.
Is it possible to eat common boletus
The common boletus belongs to the group of edible. Hats, parts of legs are used for food. In addition, they are classified as a type of classically edible species that exude a recognizable mushroom smell when cut.
The taste of the mushroom
Common boletus mushrooms are in second place after white mushrooms in terms of taste. The preparation of this type does not require long-term heat treatment, the characteristic mushroom smell does not disappear after cooking. The pulp becomes soft, acquires a rich creamy taste. A distinctive feature of ordinary boletus is the darkening of white pulp after boiling.
Common boletus is used for: various types of culinary processing:
- frying;
- laxatives;
- marinated;
- dryings.
Rich taste and aroma allow you to cook soups, sauces, gravies from the product, make sour cream dressings, mixing with butter, olive or other vegetable oils. This variety is combined with root crops, cereals, well suited for fillings in pies, kulebyaki.
Benefits and harm to the body
The common boletus during heat treatment releases a harmful substance – quinine, which can have a negative effect on digestion, so the water after boiling is drained and not used for further cooking.
Common boletus is useful for those who adhere to a dietary diet. According to its taste and nutritional value, it can replace some types of meat, while it does not have a high calorie content. In planning the diet, compatibility with other products is taken into account.
Common boletus contains an increased amount of ascorbic acid, as well as calcium and magnesium. Proteins that make up more than 30% are considered complete, that is, they have essential amino acids, such as: lecithin, arginine and glutamine. This content of the product does not require the presence of special enzymes for cleavage. Protein is quickly and easily absorbed by the intestines, which explains the dietary properties of the variety of obabok. It is known that in folk medicine they are used to treat chronic kidney diseases.
You can get to know the common boletus better by watching the video:
False doubles
Common boletus has a dangerous counterpart, which is called the gall fungus.
The differences between these varieties are described in the table:
Signs of difference | common boletus | gall fungus |
Habitat | Mixed or spruce forests with a predominance of birch trees. | In forests near wetlands, in ravines. |
External Description | The hue of the spore powder is light, creamy. | Spore powder with an admixture of dirty yellow spots. |
Cap structure | Elastic, dense, does not change shape when pressed. | It is pressed with a slight pressure and does not acquire its original shape. |
Smell | Mushroom smell. | No. |
Features | Grow in bright, open places. | There are no insects on the surface of the fruiting body, because they are not attracted to bitter, inedible mushrooms. |
Mushroom pickers claim that obabok can, due to inexperience, be confused with one of the poisonous mushrooms, pale grebe. Toadstools grow under birches, aspens. The time of their appearance coincides with the beginning of fruiting in the forests of boletus:
The fruiting periods of the two species coincide: from July to October.
The round cap of the toadstool has the shape of a hemisphere. Its diameter is up to 10 cm. In young representatives, the shade of the hat is attractive: glossy, light brown. The flesh does not darken when cut, remains whitish, exudes a faint sweetish aroma. The leg, like that of the boletus, is lighter than the cap, expands downwards. White toadstool belongs to the class of poisonous mushrooms. Poisoning can cause serious complications.
To distinguish a toadstool and a toadstool, it is recommended to focus on several basic characteristics of a false species:
- lack of symbiosis with birch roots;
- no characteristic mushroom aroma;
- there are no insects on the surface of the fruiting body.
Collection rules
When collecting, it is necessary to take into account the recommendations of experienced mushroom pickers:
- Plan your route in advance. Do not pick mushrooms near roads, industrial enterprises, because they absorb harmful substances that accumulate under the base of the hat.
- Cut off the fruiting body at the surface of the earth with a knife at an acute angle.
- Place mushrooms in a non-plastic container. The best option is a wicker basket: it allows air to pass through, prevents the hats of neighboring specimens from squeezing each other.
- Do not collect damaged worm mushrooms.
- Bypass copies, the ownership of which is in doubt.
- Sort fruiting bodies after collection, discard unsuitable ones.
Mushroom pickers recommend cooking boletus during the first day after harvest. Raw materials are not subject to long-term storage or transportation.
Use
Common boletus after harvest is often cooked with potatoes and onions. Before frying, they are cleaned, the lower part of the leg is cut off, soaked in cold water, then boiled for 25-30 minutes.
So that the pulp does not darken, cold water acidified with citric acid is used when soaking. For 2 liters take 0,5 tsp. powder or squeeze the juice from half a lemon.
Boletus mushrooms are dried using electric dryers or ovens. They are also frozen after boiling. Dried parts are stored in cloth bags or food paper bags. Frozen mushrooms are stored on the freezer shelf in plastic bags with sealed valves for 3-6 months. Most often, boletus pickles are pickled, they are not so attractive in pickles, they lose their characteristic taste.
For frying, along with ordinary boletus, varieties similar in type are often taken: porcini mushrooms, aspen mushrooms.
Conclusion
Common boletus is a tasty edible mushroom with a characteristic recognizable smell. When collecting this variety, it is taken into account that its representatives grow in birch forests. This helps not to confuse them with false twins. Before cooking, ordinary boletus is subjected to a short soak, while citric acid is added to avoid darkening of the product, as in the case of boiling.