Funghi porcini, commonly
referred to simply as "porcini" ("piglets", probably
based on their appearance; singular "porcino") are large, edible mushrooms
of the species Boletus edulis. English speakers
often refer to them as "porcini
mushrooms".
Common names for Boletus edulis vary by region. The word
"porcino" is Tuscan and hence standard Italian, and
reflects the latin word suilli, meaning the same as porcini, used by the ancient
Romans for Boletus edulis. Other common names
are bastardo, brisa, fungo di macchia, moccicone
("snotty"), ceppatello, giallo leonato, ghezzo, moreccio
and settembrino. Until molecular
biological analysis showed otherwise, many mycologists considered
some of the many morphological variants to be separate species,
but this is not the case. The species is simply highly polymorphic,
even within an area as small as Chianti. Porcini are found
throughout the northern hemisphere and have been introduced into a
number of countries in the southern hemisphere. In France they are
famous under the name "cèpe de Bordeaux".
Porcini typically
have a comparatively thick stipe (stem) that bulges out in the
middle and has a whitish reticulation on a brownish background, a large convex cap
that is leather brown and slightly sticky with small pores on the underside of the
cap rather than gills. The appearance of porcini varies by region
and by age.
Porcini growing under a
chestnut tree
Collecting porcini
Porcini grow in association of specific trees and are considered
ectomycorrhizal symbiotes associated with the roots of the trees they grow under.
The best porcini seem to grown in forests that are predominantly
horse chestnut (castagna), but they also grow in forests of oak,
beech and fir, with related edible species found under pine trees.
In Chianti, the forest is often a mixture of chestnut and oak and
hence ideal for porcini.
Umbrella pine forests are also common in Chianti and species
related to Boletus edulis, notably Boletus pinophilus (previously
Boletus pinicola) grow among the pine needles. Their
common names include brisa mora, pinofilo, porcino dei pini, porcino rosso, ceppatello dal freddo (in Tuscany).
Most people regard their flavour as inferior to that of the true
porcino but this is not always true. It depends also on the
terrain. In any case, they are very tasty when cooked.
If you're a visitor to Chianti, ask local people for the best
places to go mushroom hunting. A collection of cars parked at the
periphery of an otherwise uninteresting forest on a Saturday
morning is a good indicator of porcini territory.
Porcini are usually found in spring and again in late autumn,
especially after rainfall.
Porcino rosso Boletus pinophilus
Twist the mushroom off at its base rather than uprooting it.
This leaves the underground mycelium undisturbed and new fruiting
bodies (mushrooms) will spring up within days if the weather
conditions are right. Cutting the stipe with a knife may risk the part left behind
going rotten and the mycelium being destroyed. Carry your porcini
away in a basket - in some parts of Italy this is mandated by law.
The loose weave of the basket allows the spores to
"reseed" by falling through onto the ground. In
addition, it's a bad idea to let mushrooms be in contact with
plastic for any length of time because they rapidly go rotten if
moisture doesn't disperse and there seems to be a toxic reaction
between plastic and mushrooms. Even dried mushrooms are sold in
cellophane or brown paper bags rather than plastic bags for this
reason. In most of Italy there is a strict daily weight limit and
in addition it might be necessary to buy a daily porcini
harvesting permit from the local town hall. Smaller porcini in
general have a better flavour and texture than the very large
ones.
There are almost no poisonous mushrooms that resemble
porcini, making them an ideal prize for amateur mushroom hunters.
Nevertheless, discard any porcino-like mushroom that turns blue
where bruised, a characteristic of the devil's bolete (Boletus
satanas), which has a similar shape, but has a red stem and stains blue on
bruising. Porcini can be confused with the very bitter and unpalatable
Tylopilus felleus. If in doubt, taste a small piece. The
bitter taste of Tylopilus is instantly recognisable.
A porcino rosso showing
the pores under the cap characteristic of all porcini
and the reddish stipe specific to
Boletus pinophilus.
Fresh and dried porcini
Many people, including the present author, consider fresh
porcini to be much preferable to rehydrated dried porcini. This is
because the flavour and aroma are very concentrated in dried
porcini which, if not rehydrated properly therefore can take on a
slightly burnt flavour, and of course the texture of a fresh
porcino is not fully recovered after rehydration. In any case,
rehydrate dried porcini in hot but not boiling water, and make use
of the water for soups etc. Fresh porcini should be used for
sautéed, fried and baked porcini dishes and are preferable for
use in ragouts and sauces other than very concentrated sauces
where ground dried porcini can be used successfully.
An additional reason to eat fresh porcini is that you will have a
good idea of where they come from. Porcini accumulate toxic heavy
metals, including radioactive elements, in significant amounts.
Dried exports from countries such as China have little or no
quality control and could easily have been harvested near mine
tailings and other contaminated sites or not be Boletus at
all. Most of the dried porcini commercially available in Italy or exported
from Italy no longer originate from Italy, even when labelled
"Italian Porcini", but originate in eastern Europe and
China. Those from China often have
Tylopilus mixed in, imparting an unpleasant bitter taste
to the whole packet.
To bypass the problem of contaminated dried porcini, it is easy to
dry porcini that you have collected yourself. Cut the porcini into
slices about 5 mm thick and leave them in hot sunshine. You can
also string them up on a thread and hang them in an area of low
humidity, outside or inside. Oven drying is also possible. If
there's any dampness around, they will go mouldy rapidly.
Therefore, don't wash the fresh porcini prior to drying - brush or
cut away any dirt and the rest can be shaken off after drying.
Dried porcini
Cooking porcini
The fleshy texture of porcini and their nutty flavour are unequaled among mushrooms,
allowing porcini to be the main ingredient in a huge variety of dishes.
Porcini are low in fat and digestible carbohydrates, and high in protein, vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre.
Porcini can be eaten and enjoyed raw, sautéed in butter or olive
oil, minced for pasta sauces (e.g. carrettiere,
"carter's sauce") and pasta fillings, in soups and in many other
dishes, too many to describe here. Sliced porcini sautéed in
olive oil go extremely well with any kind of fried meat,
especially if the two are cooked together. Porcini add flavour to
almost any kind of sauce or ragout used on pasta, and they make an
excellent flavouring for risotto. Throughout Italy, prepared
stuffed pasta containing porcini are readily available.
Garlic and also parsley are very often successfully added to porcini during
cooking. Also look for nipitella, a kind of wild mint properly known
in English as Lesser Calamint, commonly found in the fields and
also from time to time available in vegetable markets and
supermarkets. It is sometimes called nepitella or mentuccia
and also erba dei gatti since it contains nepatalactone and
has the same effect on cats as other species of catnip. Nipitella goes extremely well in combination with
porcini.
Porcini and nipitella
with pasta
|
)
)
)
)
)