Identification
Chestnut-brown cap, yellowish pores that stain blue-green on touch, stem brownish without a net. Flesh whitish, staining then fading.
Edibility
Very good edible — mild, nutty; dries well.
A documented caveat
The species accumulates radiocaesium: Polish and Czech measurements after Chernobyl recorded elevated Cs-137 in bay boletes. In clean regions irrelevant; in known-contaminated areas, limit wild mushroom meals.
In practice
- Blue staining + brown cap + no red pores = bay bolete, not satan's bolete.