Ustilago maydis

(Huitlacoche)

(Corn Smut)

Photo By: Hugh Urban, Ohio September 2007

     Huitlacoche is often described in English as corn mushroom, or corn fungus. Some have tried to raise its profile by calling it Mexican Truffle. These are misleading, not because of the culinary value, but because it makes you think of something that grows independently on the cob. Instead, huitlacoche is a spore that grows within the individual kernels, distending them, and disfiguring the ear.

     Uncooked, they taste a bit earthy, gritty, and raw. You find them in quesadillas, sweetened with a good amount of onion, and spiced with epazote, a strong herb that flavors quesadillas and is popular in black beans as well. The picture above is my version of a quesadilla. What I learned was how strong they taste on their own — they need a good amount of onion and salt to cut their earthy, bitter taste.

     Most roadside stand serve huitlacoche as almost a paste, and restaurants serve it usually as a drizzled sauce, liquefied beyond recognition. I much prefer the little bulbs entire in the quesadilla. They pop in your mouth and really hit you with their flavor.

     Huitlacoche is also known as corn smut, an affliction for American fields as well. The big difference is that in the U.S. it is thrown out — and fought against. In Mexico, a single piece of corn commands three or four dollars, a good markup from the average “unspoilt” ear.