Prized as an ingredient in various culinary dishes, B. edulis is an edible mushroom held in high regard in many cuisines, and is commonly prepared and eaten in soups, pasta, or risotto.

In Rolf Singer's classification of the Agaricales mushrooms, it is also the type species of section Boletus, a grouping of about 30 related boletes united by several characteristics: a mild-tasting, white flesh that does not change colour when exposed to air; a smooth to distinctly raised, netted pattern over at least the uppermost portion of the stem; a yellow-brown or olive-brown spore print; white tubes that later become yellowish then greenish, which initially appear to be stuffed with cotton; and cystidia that are not strongly coloured.

[10] The generic name is derived from the Latin term bōlētus "mushroom", which was borrowed in turn from the Ancient Greek βωλίτης, "terrestrial fungus".

In France, it is more fully cèpe de Bordeaux, derived from the Gascon cep "trunk" for its fat stalk,[24] ultimately from the Latin cippus "stake".

The under surface of the cap is made of thin tubes, the site of spore production; they are 1 to 2 cm (1⁄2 to 3⁄4 in) deep, and whitish in colour when young, but mature to a greenish-yellow.

[35] Boletus edulis is considered one of the safest wild mushrooms to pick for the table, as few poisonous species closely resemble it, and those that do may be easily distinguished by careful examination.

[42][43] Three divergent lineages found in Yunnan province in China that are commonly marketed and sold as B. edulis (and are actually more closely related to B. aereus) were described in 2013 as B. bainiugan, B. meiweiniuganjun and B.

The white king bolete (Boletus barrowsii), found in parts of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California (and possibly elsewhere), is named after its discoverer Chuck Barrows.

[47] It is lighter in colour than B. edulis, having a cream-coloured cap with pink tones;[48] often mycorrhizal with Ponderosa pine, it tends to grow in areas where there is less rainfall.

[51] The spring king bolete (Boletus rex-veris), formerly considered a variety of B. edulis or B. pinophilus, is found throughout western North America.

[56] In the Midi region of south-west France, they are especially favoured and locally called cèpe de Bordeaux after the town from which they are traded to the north and abroad.

[68] Italian folklore holds that porcini sprout up at the time of the new moon;[19] research studies have tried to investigate more scientifically the factors that influence the production of fruit bodies.

[82] The fungus has also been shown to associate with gum rockrose, a pioneer early stage shrub that is adapted for growth in degraded areas, such as burned forests.

[83] These and other rockrose species are ecologically important as fungal reservoirs, maintaining an inoculum of mycorrhizal fungi for trees that appear later in the forest regrowth cycle.

[84] The mushroom has been noted to often co-occur with Amanita muscaria or A. rubescens, although it is unclear whether this is due to a biological association between the species, or because of similarities in growing season, habitat, and ecological requirements.

[54] An association has also been reported between B. edulis and Amanita excelsa on Pinus radiata ectomycorrhizae in New Zealand, suggesting that other fungi may influence the life cycle of porcini.

[citation needed] The fruit bodies of B. edulis can be infected by the parasitic mould-like fungus Hypomyces chrysospermus, known as the bolete eater, which manifests itself as a white, yellow, or reddish-brown cottony layer over the surface of the mushroom.

[91][92] Boletus edulis is a food source for animals such as the banana slug (Ariolimax columbianus),[93] the long-haired grass mouse,[94] the red squirrel,[95] and, as noted in one isolated report, the fox sparrow.

Italian chef and restaurateur Antonio Carluccio has described it as representing "the wild mushroom par excellence", and hails it as the most rewarding of all fungi in the kitchen for its taste and versatility.

[19] Considered a choice edible, particularly in France, Germany, Poland and Italy,[20] it was widely written about by the Roman writers Pliny the Elder and Martial, although ranked below the esteemed Amanita caesarea.

Young, small porcini are most appreciated, as the large ones often harbour maggots (insect larvae), and become slimy, soft and less tasty with age.

[100] Caution should be exercised when collecting specimens from potentially polluted or contaminated sites, as several studies have shown that the fruit bodies can bioaccumulate toxic heavy metals like mercury,[101] cadmium,[102] caesium and polonium.

[106] Porcini are sold fresh in markets in summer and autumn in Europe and Russia, and dried or canned at other times of the year, and distributed worldwide to countries where they are not otherwise found.

Alternatively, the mushrooms can be dried by cleaning with a brush (washing is not recommended), and then placing them in a wicker basket or bamboo steamer on top of a boiler or hot water tank.

[116] Importantly for commercial production, porcini retain their flavour after industrial preparation in a pressure cooker or after canning or bottling, and are thus useful for manufacturers of soups or stews.

[119] A 1998 estimate suggested that the total annual worldwide consumption of Boletus edulis and closely related species (B. aereus, B. pinophilus, and B. reticulatus) was between 20,000 and 100,000 tons.

[122] After the fall of the Iron Curtain and the subsequent reduction of economic and political barriers, central and eastern European countries with local mushroom harvesting traditions, such as Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia, developed into exporters of porcini, concentrating primarily on the Italian market.

[121] Porcini and other wild fungi from these countries are also destined for France, Germany and other western European markets, where demand for them exists but collection on a commercial scale does not.

[115][125][62] The results of some studies suggest that unknown components of the soil microflora might be required for B. edulis to establish a mycorrhizal relationship with the host plant.

[126][127][128] Successful attempts at cultivating B. edulis have been made by Spanish scientists by mycorrhization of Cistus species,[62] with Pseudomonas fluorescens bacteria helping the mycorrhiza.