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Porcini (cep)

Boletus edulis — Choice edible.

Never eat a wild mushroom or plant identified only from a website, book or app. Several deadly species look almost identical to edible ones, and mistakes can be fatal. Learn from an experienced forager in person, be certain of every specimen, and when in doubt, throw it out.

What it is

The king of edible boletes, with a fat pale stem and a brown cap, prized fresh and dried. Boletes have a sponge of tiny pores under the cap instead of gills. The white-pored, mild, net-stemmed porcini is a beginner-friendlier bolete, but the red-pored members of the group must be treated with caution.

Where and when to find it

Conifer and mixed forest, often near spruce, pine and birch. In season roughly August to October.

Look-alikes and safety

The bitter bolete (Tylopilus felleus) is not deadly but so bitter it ruins a whole dish; its pores are pinkish and it has a dark net on the stem. Avoid any bolete with red or orange pores, or one whose flesh bruises strongly blue, until an expert has confirmed it.

Nutrition

Low in energy (about 30–35 kcal per 100 g), high in protein for a mushroom. As with all wild food, the health value only matters once you are completely certain of a safe identification.

More wild foods

Source: Edibility and look-alike notes follow standard mycological and botanical references for the region. This page is a starting reference, not an identification authority. · checked 2026-09-04

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