The mushroom season is slowly coming to an end. However, during the past few weeks, mushroom-picking enthusiasts experienced what is known as a bumper crop, while the forests were under real siege. This season, the king without a doubt was the king bolete.
Mushroom pickers do not remember such an abundance of these tasty mushrooms. If you found the right spot in the Lower Silesian Forests, you could find anywhere from several to even several dozen specimens of this beautiful and delicious mushroom within just a few square metres.
The king bolete is a very tasty and aromatic mushroom. Interestingly, it is one of the few mushroom species that can even be eaten raw, without heat treatment. There are many recipes for preparing this mushroom. One of the more interesting ones is porcini carpaccio.
Simply choose two or three young king boletes, clean them, slice them into very thin pieces, drizzle them with olive oil and lemon juice, and add a little salt and freshly ground pepper. You can also sprinkle them with oregano seasoning (as shown in the photo) and Parmesan shavings—and they are ready.
The king bolete is a member of the large bolete family. You certainly do not know all of them, but it is worth knowing that this family includes many different representatives.
Besides edible species, there are also inedible or poisonous ones, such as the satanic bolete and the purple bolete. Some boletes are also protected and may not be picked, such as the royal bolete. See the graphic below:
The Large Bolete Family