The Bolete mushroom is considered among many to be one of the best tasting mushrooms around.  This very popular mushroom grows all over the world and is especially widespread throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

Bolete MushroomThe Bolete mushroom grows on the ground near trees.  In fact, the bolete and the tree have a commensual relationship in that one can’t live without the other.  The bolete mushroom and the tree exchange food and nutrients in order to grow and thrive.  For this reason, it is very difficult to simply cultivate bolete mushrooms without trees, so the majority of these mushrooms are collected from the wild.

Bolete mushrooms tend to appear more in the summer when trees are active. Because they are cultivated in the wild and don’t grow all year, they can be hard to find fresh and are one of the more expensive mushrooms.  However, dried bolete mushrooms are not inferior. In fact, some would argue that during drying, the bolete mushroom takes on an even more powerful taste.  This makes the dried bolete an excellent choice for adding flavor to soups, sauces and other savory dishes.

Soak your dried bolete mushrooms for about 30 minutes before cooking.  Use the liquid as you cook because it will take on the delicious bolete flavor.