Finnish: Lehmäntatti
Swedish: Björksopp
Norwegian: Brunskrubb
German: Birkenpilz, Birkenröhrling
Other English names: Scaber stalk
height: 10 – 20 cm
cap diameter: 5 – 15 cm
trunk diameter: 1 – 3,5 cm
months: June – October
colours: brown cap | white-brown trunk.
habitat: birch forest
smell: mild, pleasant
consumption: well cooked
Description
Brown birch boletes are among the most common mushrooms you are likely to encounter throughout Norway, Sweden and Finland. Especially the fresh and young specimens are popular in the (northern) European kitchen. Since it is so widely distributed and common this is one of the mushrooms you should definitely know when you travel the northern realms and looking for food to forage.
The cap grows between 5 and 15 cm in diameter and has usually a light brown colour. Birch bolets can grow up to 20 cm in height. Pores are white in younger specimen and become grey in a later stage. When cut the mushroom turns slightly grey. Upon cooking the colour changes to dark grey.
Lookalikes
Leccinum variicolor (Mottled bolete), Leccinum versipelle (Orange birch bolete) and some other species from the same genus.
Notes
Notes for cooking: All mushrooms from the Leccinum family are edible and many are appreciated in kitchens throughout Europe. However, newer studies suggest that they should be cooked/heated for at least 15 minutes or otherwise raw consumption can lead to (severe) digestion problems and nausea due to a high content of xerocomic accid!
We have compiled this overview with the best of knowledge and belief, but do not claim to be complete and reserve the right to make errors.
Learn more about poisonous mushrooms and mushroom poisons here
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