Whether you know them as King Boletes or Porcini, they’re a seasonal treasure beloved by cultures around the world. The French know them as Ceps, the Germans as Steinpilz (rock mushroom), in Mexico “Panzitas” (likely in reference to bread), and the Chinese call it 美味牛肝菌 (Mei Wei Niu Gan Jun), which translates to “delicious ox liver mushroom.” In Russia, Ukraine, and other eastern European countries, they are often simply referred to as “White Mushroom” in their respective languages.
Since these are highly cherished edible mushrooms, almost everywhere they grow, there’s no doubt that endless amounts of stories and imagery associated with them.
The Story Of Boletus
The earliest accounts of the word “Boletus” first appeared in Roman texts in the first century A.D. While it is hypothesized that Boletus is derived from the Ancient Greek word βωλίτης (bōlitēs), tracing back to the Greek word βῶλος (bōlos), meaning “lump,” or “clod,” scholars do not unanimously agree on these origins.
In his 2013 text “Fungi and Place-Names, the Origin of Boletus,” Imholtz, Jr. argues that the name Boletus may have originated in the Roman province of Hispania (modern-day Spain). He cites that the first records of this name occur from authors like Seneca and Petronius, who originated from this part of the Roman empire. Pliny The Elder, who lived in Hispania for a time, also repeatedly references Boletus in his work “Historia Naturalis.” These early references often utilize Boletus to criticize the Roman elite’s indulgence, greed, and extreme wealth.
It is unclear whether these early authors used the term Boletos to refer to mushrooms in general (as it is currently used in Catalan, where “Bolet” simply means mushroom) or if it referenced a specific mushroom. Evidence from Pliny the Elder suggests he may have used it mainly to refer to the edible Amanita caesarea.
| At, dii boni, quam facile est extinguere sitim sanam! Sed quid sentire possunt emortuae fauces et occallatae cibis ardentibus? Quemadmodum nihil illis satis frigidum, sic nihil satis calidum est, sed ardentes boletos et raptim indumento suo mersatos demittunt paene fumantes, quos deinde restinguant niuatis potionibus. Videbis, inquam, quosdam graciles et palliolo focalique circumdatos, pallentes et aegros non sorbere solum niuem sed etiam esse et frusta eius in scyphos suos deicere, ne tepescant inter ipsam bibendi moram. | But, good gods, how easy it is to quench a healthy thirst! Yet what can those deadened throats, calloused by burning foods, feel? Just as nothing is cold enough for them, so nothing is hot enough, they swallow down burning mushrooms, dipped hastily in their sauce, almost smoking, which they then extinguish with icy drinks. You will see, I say, some thin and wrapped in cloaks and scarves, pale and sick, not only sipping snow but also eating it and throwing chunks of it into their cups, lest it become lukewarm while they are drinking. |
| From Senecas “Quaestiones Naturales” released in 65 AD. This passage vividly describes the excesses of Roman dining habits in Seneca’s time. He criticizes those who have dulled their senses with rich foods and drinks to the point where they crave extreme sensations of heat and cold to feel anything at all. The image of people eating snow and burning mushrooms highlights the absurdity of their pursuit of pleasure. It is unclear whether his word Boletos references a specific mushroom or mushrooms in general. | |
| Mel Atticum ut domi nasceretur, apes ab Athenis iussit afferri; obiter et vernaculae quae sunt, meliusculae a Graeculis fient. Ecce intra hos dies scripsit, ut illi ex India semen boletorum mitteretur. Nam mulam quidem nullam habet, quae non ex onagro nata sit. | He ordered bees to be brought from Athens so that Attic honey could be produced at home; incidentally, even the local bees, which are quite good, will become better due to the Greek ones. Look, within these days he wrote that boletus mushroom seeds should be sent to him from India. |
| This excerpt from the Satyricon, a highly satirical and humorous novel, satirizes the excesses and pretensions of Trimalchio, a wealthy freedman in Roman society. Trimalchio is obsessed with displaying his wealth and acquiring exotic goods, even if it means importing bees from Athens for honey or requesting “boletus mushroom seeds” from India. This satirical reference remains humorous, knowing that mushrooms cannot be planted as other crops. | |
The Roman naturalist Pliny The Elder highly criticized the consumption of mushrooms and considered them a gluttonous and reckless food item. While it is not entirely clear, it appears as though
| tam multifera sunt, tot res praeter glandem pariunt robora, sed et boletos suillosque – gulae novissima inritamenta – , qui circa radices gignuntur, quercus probatissimos… | So fertile are they, the trees produce so many things besides the acorn, but also boletos and suillosque – the latest stimulants of gluttony – which grow around the roots, the best ones from the oak… |
| Plin. Nat. 16 . 17 Pliny likely refers to what we know today as Boletus edulis, here as suillosque. This makes sense since the word Suillosque likely originates from the Latin word for Pig, and today in Italy, Boletus edulis is known as Porcini, which means “little pig.” | |
| nter ea, quae temere manduntur, et boletos merito posuerim, opimi quidem hos cibi… quorundam ex iis facile noscuntur venena diluto rubore, rancido aspectu, livido intus colore, rimosa stria, pallido per ambitum labro… vulvam enim terra ob hoc prius gignit, ipsum postea in vulva, ceu in ovo est luteum. Nec tunicae minor gratia in cibo infantis boleti. Rumpitur haec primo nascente, mox increscente in pediculi corpus absumitur… si caligaris clavus ferrive aliqua robigo aut panni marcor adfuerit nascenti, omnem ilico sucum alienum saporemque in venenum concoqui deprehendisse qui nisi agrestes possunt atque qui colligunt ipsi alia vitia ne hi quidem, si serpentis caverna iuxta fuerit, si patescentem primo adhalaverit, capaci venenorum cognatione ad virus accipiendum… | Meanwhile, among the things that are rashly eaten, I would rightly include boleti, these indeed being a rich food… The poisons of some of these are easily recognized by their pale redness, rancid appearance, livid color inside, cracked gills, and pale rim around the edge. These signs are not present in some… The earth first produces a womb (vulva) for this purpose, and afterward, the boletus itself is in the womb, just as the yolk is in the egg. Nor is the skin of less importance in the nourishment of the infant boletus. This skin is broken when it is first born, and as soon as it grows, it is absorbed into the body of the stalk… If a boot nail or some rusty iron or the rot of cloth has been present at its birth, all the foreign juice and flavor is immediately concocted into poison, which none but rustics and those who gather them themselves can detect; other defects not even these can detect, if a serpent’s den has been nearby, if it has breathed on the boletus as it first opened, being capable by its kinship to poisons of absorbing the venom… |
| Plin. Nat. 22 . 46Evidence that Pliny was likely talking about Amanita caesarea, which grows from an egg-like universal veil. | |
Imholtz, Jr. proposes the theory, first made by the scientist Niedermann, that Boletus has a place-name origin. Just as Sardines are named after Sardinia and Sherry after the town of Jerez, the word boletus originates in the city of Boltafia, which is still known for its abundance of mushrooms. Similarly, in France, Boletus edulis is often referred to as Cèpe de Bordeaux, referencing Bordeaux as the place of origin.
Another but less popular hypothesis suggests that the word Boletus actually has Slavic origins. The Czech linguist Václav Machek (1894-1965) proposed that Boletus was a loan word derived from a Slavic root related to the word bъdla, which also means “mushroom” in some Slavic languages. Several linguists and ethnomycologists are skeptical of this theory.
All in all, Boletus is a great example of how it’s difficult to trace the etymology of a name, or any word for that matter. While it’s easy enough to find your favorite hypothesis, it’s easier to just admit we can’t really know!
The Names Of Boletus Edulis Around The World
| Language | Common Names |
| Bulgarian | Обикновената манатарка (The common bolete) |
| Catalan | cep o buixó |
| Chinese | 美味牛肝菌 (Delicious bolete), 大腿蘑 (Big leg mushroom)、網紋牛肝菌 (Netted bolete) |
| Dutch | gewoon eekhoorntjesbrood (Common squirrel bread) |
| English | King Bolete, Bolete, Penny Bun |
| Estonian | Harilik kivipuravik (Common stone bolete) |
| French | Cèpe, Cèpe de Bordeaux (Cèpe of Bordeaux), Bolet |
| Galician | Madeirudo, boleto bo |
| German | Steinpilz (Stone mushroom), Fichten-Steinpilz (Spruce bolete), Herrenpilz (Lord’s mushroom), Edelpilz (Noble mushroom), Dobernickel |
| Italian | Porcini (Piglets), Funzo de castagna (Chestnut Mushroom), Funzo neigro (Black Mushroom), Servajlo, Regùlat, Biancon, Brisott, Cappellet, Ferré levrin, Fonz ferré, Légorzéla, Legorsela, Nonna, Nÿna, Vairol, Nivariö, Anvrieul, Bolè carèJ, Bolè porsin (Pig Mushroom), Fons caplèt, Ceppatello, Ghezza, Moccione, Moccolone, Gelatino (Icy) |
| Japanese | ヤマドリタケ (Yamadori-take) |
| Norwegian | Steinsopp (Stone mushroom) |
| Polish | Borowik szlachetny (Noble bolete) |
| Portuguese | Míscaro, tortulho |
| Romanian | hrib, hrib cenușiu (Grey bolete), mănătarcă (Bolete) |
| Russian | Бе́лый гриб (White mushroom), бе́бик, белеви́к, боровик (Little pine forest), ковы́л (Feather grass), дорогой гриб (Expensive mushroom) |
| Slovenian | Jesenski goban (Autumn bolete), jurček (Boletus) |
| Spanish | hongo blanco (white mushroom), hongo pambazo (bread mushroom), seta calabaza (Pumpkin mushroom), calabaza (Pumpkin) |
| Ukrainian | Білий гриб (White mushroom), гриб справжній (Real mushroom), правдивий (True), правдивець, справедливий (Just/fair), дубрівник (Oak forest mushroom), щирак, білас (White one), біляк |
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