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It is widely believed that if the porcini mushroom turns blue on the cut, then the specimen found is a poisonous twin. This is only partly true, since the color of the pulp changes a large number of species, both edible and toxic. In order not to accidentally pick up a dangerous variety, it is recommended to study other distinctive signs of false boletus.
Do porcini mushrooms turn blue on the cut
A genuine white mushroom (Latin Boletus edulis), also known as boletus, never turns blue when cut. This is what distinguishes it from many subspecies that are similar to it. However, in this case, they are most often poisonous or conditionally edible. On the other hand, there are many exceptions to this rule, when the flesh of the double takes on a bluish tint and even blackens, but it is still considered fit for food. A striking example of this is the chestnut flywheel (Latin Boletus badius), which has excellent taste.
Thus, blue is a hallmark of false twins, but it is far from always an indicator of the toxicity of the found fruit bodies.
Why does the white mushroom turn blue
Inexperienced mushroom pickers mistakenly believe that if the false porcini mushroom turns blue on the cut, this indicates the presence of toxins in its pulp. Changes in color only indicate that its fibers have come into contact with oxygen, and an oxidation reaction has begun. This process does not affect the palatability of the fruiting body.
Sometimes the flesh becomes bluish within 10-15 minutes, however, in some varieties, the fibers change color in a matter of seconds. Usually, the blue affects any part of the fruiting body, but there are also such false porcini mushrooms that turn blue only under the cap.
Other porcini-like mushrooms that turn blue
There are a large number of mushrooms similar to white, but their flesh turns blue when cut. The most dangerous among these false species is the satanic one (Latin Boletus satanas).
It is distinguished from a genuine boletus by its leg, which has a bright red color. In addition, there is a whitish mesh pattern on it. The tubular double layer is orange. It is these signs that indicate that the find is a poisonous pain, which in no case should be eaten. 5-10 g of the pulp of this double is enough to cause severe poisoning in a person. When a large number of fruiting bodies are consumed, a lethal outcome is possible.
The leg of the satanic painter is very powerful and wide
If the specimens found have darkened, it may be Polish mushrooms, they are also chestnut mushrooms (Latin Boletus badius) - common counterparts of the white boletus. It is an edible variety that is great to be eaten fried, boiled, dried, and pickled. The upper part of the cap is brown or reddish brown. The mushroom's hymenophore is yellow-green in color, but when pressed, it turns blue, like the white pulp, which darkens at the cut. After heat treatment, the blue disappears quickly enough.
Chestnut flywheels are very similar to genuine boletus, the easiest way to distinguish them is the blue flesh at the cut
Another species that looks like a genuine boletus is a bruise or blue gyroporus (lat.Gyroporus cyanescens). It is listed in the Red Book of Russia, as its number has greatly decreased recently. The area of distribution of the bruise covers deciduous and mixed forests, most likely this species can be found under birches, chestnuts or oaks.
Gyroporus was very popular with mushroom pickers - it could be pickled, boiled and fried.
It is distinguished from a real boletus by its light color - the hat of the bruise is most often grayish or creamy.
The fruiting body of the bruise on the cut turns bright blue, at some point, reaching a rich azure hue
If the porcini mushroom turns black on the cut
If the white mushroom found when cut first turned blue, and then turned black, it is most likely a red boletus (Latin Leccinum aurantiacum). It differs from a genuine boletus in a more saturated color of the cap.
It is an edible variety with excellent palatability.
The cap of the red boletus has a rich brown color with an admixture of orange
Also, the flesh of the hornbeam, which is also called a boletus or gray boletus (lat.Leccinum carpini), also turns blue, and then blackens. Another sign by which this false species can be identified is the weakly expressed wrinkling of mature specimens. Old fruits shrink at all, becoming covered with deep furrows.
In the same way as the red boletus, the hornbeam can be eaten, although its flesh turns blue on the cut.
The color of the cap of the hornbeam is changeable - it can be brown-gray, ash or ocher
Conclusion
If the white mushroom turns blue on the cut, then the specimen found is one of the false species. On the other hand, this does not mean that the fruit body of the double is poisonous - there are a large number of edible varieties that change the color of the pulp at the cut or at the point of impact. In order to determine for sure the value of a find, it is necessary to know other distinctive external signs of poisonous twins. These include the color of the cap and legs, the presence of mesh formations on false species, smell, etc.
In addition, how the leg of a false porcini mushroom turns blue, you can find out from the video below:
