Boletus edulis are a chef's fungal friends. Either fresh or dried, they give excellent flavour.
My question is about the dried version. Rehydrated, they give a concentration of flavour that you never seem to get from the fresh version, no matter how you cook, simmer, or soak them. Need a big umami hit? Use dried. You can soak them in hot water to get it to come out, or blitz them in a coffee grinder to make your own mushroom powder to add to soups etc. BTW, doing them in a powder form also makes a good steak rub.
The dried version takes on an earthiness and more intense smokiness that is much greater in degree than the fresh version. Same for dried vs. fresh shiitakes. That is also the case, to a lesser degree, with morels, but dried chanterelles don't have that same flavour concentration and don't reconstitute well.
Are there any food scientists that can explain the concentration of flavours that takes place? It can't just be drying - it must be some sort of chemical reaction that gives different flavours than the undried form. I've done some net surfing without finding anything specific on this.
Enquiring minds want to know. I am making a mushroom tart today and always use a combination of dried and fresh mushrooms, the former to add a punch of flavour the latter just can't supply, and I became curious about why that is. Guess I am just a 'funguy'?