The birch mushroom is one of the tasty and edible mushrooms in our forests. But there is also a risk of confusion with perhaps inedible mushrooms. The following article provides information about the characteristics of the edible mushroom so that confusion is avoided.
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Recognize – Characteristics
The edible mushroom Leccinum scabrum is a mixed mushroom that does not have a very strong taste of its own. If you stew it during preparation, it can become very slimy. Another well-known name is birch boletus. If you are looking for the mushroom, you should look more under the birch trees in late summer and autumn, because the name is no coincidence. The mushroom has the following characteristics:
- brownish hat
- initially hemispherical
- later cushion-like
- Hat grows between 3 and 15 cm
- has a smooth surface without dents
- covered with fine felt
- tends to be greasy when wet
- Skin from hat cannot be peeled off
- Stem grows up to 15 cm high and 3 cm in diameter
- thicker at the base than just below the cap
- Stem is reddish with dark scales
risk of confusion
The birch boletus can be confused with various species of its genus, the boletus or rough-legged boletus. These include the following types:
- hornbeam boletus
- Blushing birch fungus
- Black-capped Birch Mushroom
- Multicolored birch mushroom
However, all of these four similar mushrooms are also edible. All of them, just like the birch boletus, can ideally be used as a mixed mushroom. Therefore, there is no danger if there is a mix-up. Only the taste of the prepared dish can change as a result.
frequently asked Questions
The older the mushroom is found, the worse it is usable in the kitchen. Because the young specimens, which can be stewed or dried well, are firm and very tasty. The older mushrooms, on the other hand, become watery and spongy and are then often no longer edible. The older stems become woody and tough and are no longer suitable for use.
The tasty and non-poisonous edible mushroom is very common in the local latitudes in Northern and Central Europe and here especially in birch forests. The best time to look for the birch boletus is between June and October.
Rough-legged boletus, to which genus the birch mushroom also belongs, should not be eaten raw, then they are indeed incompatible, because the mushrooms contain xerocomic acid. Mushroom experts therefore recommend a minimum cooking time of 15 to 20 minutes so that the acid is destroyed and symptoms of poisoning do not occur.
A mixed mushroom is an edible mushroom that has little taste of its own, often even tastes neutral and should therefore be mixed with other mushrooms in dishes to make the dish tasty. Mixed mushrooms are therefore often served in hunter’s sauces or stewed with meat together with various other species and genera.
