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Huitlacoche

Ingredients

Pan

  • Pile of huitlacoche from your neighbor's cornfield
  • 1-2 Shallots (or onion), julienned
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 4 jalapenos, diced
  • 1 large tomato, diced
  • 1/3 stick of butter
  • pinch of cumin, ground
  • pinch of coriander, ground
  • dusting of paprika
  • a few corns of black pepper, ground
  • pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste
  • salt, to taste

Tacos

  • Flour or corn tortillas
  • Sour cream
  • Shredded cheese
  • Chopped scallions
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Salsa / Crema

So, perhaps one of the grossest things that most Americans would never consider eating is actually a delicacy in traditional Mexican culture. It’s called huitlacoche (pronounced weet-lah-koh-chay), or more colloquially here in the ‘States, “corn smut”; and it only takes one try to completely change your opinion.

Out in rural Missouri, we are surrounded by corn fields. Starting in mid-July when the heads of corn begin to appear, as I walk by I have for years seen the white clusters of fungus occasionally emerging from the ears. It wasn’t until last year that I learned they were edible, and not until this year when we actually went and foraged some.

So, the basic facts. The fungus Ustilago maydis is a mushroom that infects the host corn, and produces large (1-2 inch at maturity) greyish-white galls which expand from each kernel. It is not only edible, but is very high in lysine and actually higher in protein than the corn itself.

Ideal conditions for growth are in high-humidity (particularly after a rainstorm) and warm temperatures (80-90F is ideal). It does not do well in direct sunlight, so it will usually be found in the ears closest to the ground where the humidity is higher and there is more shade. It is also more common in older corn, so you will find more in the later part of the season when the large kernels can provide more nutrients.

I find that plenty grows in the corn fields around here, but if you don’t have access to a corn field, you can apparently also buy it canned or frozen at some Mexican grocery stores. It is also available online, but it is quite expensive.

In traditional Mexican cooking, it is often used in tacos, soups, stews, tamales, quesadillas; pretty much any dish where a mushroom would be appropriate. While it can be eaten raw, it is not very good. When cooked though, it has a very soft texture, and a flavor that is reminiscent of corn, but with a bit of a mushroom flavor as well, and is quite appealing.

You have to be careful when harvesting it, as it is very easy to damage the corn. The galls are very delicate, and will burst if you are not careful. It is best to use a knife to cut the galls off of the corn, and then put them in a bag or basket. You can also just pull the whole ear off of the stalk, and then cut the galls off of the ear. If you are careful, you can get a lot of galls off of a single ear, and the best galls are usually concealed by the husk, so you will have to peel it back to find them.

You can tell the good galls from the bad by the color. If they are white or light grey they are good to eat. Once the galls begin to dry out, they will turn black and spoil, or they can become slimy. Often you will find that the galls are a mix of good and bad, so you will have to sort them out, remove the bad parts, and rinse them off under water to remove any spoilage.

Preparation is quite easy, as they are just a mushroom. For my street tacos which I prepared, I started by sauteing some shallots and garlic in butter. Then, I added the jalapenos until they were cooked. I followed with the tomatoes, and then make a well in the center of the pan and added the huitlacoche. I cooked it until it was soft, and then added the spices. I cooked it for a few more minutes, and then it was ready to eat.

Basic street tacos should be eaten with a pan-fried corn tortilla, and topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, scallions, and cilantro. They were delicious, and I will definitely be making them again. I was out of cilantro and didn’t have any jalapeno lime crema for mine, but that would be the ideal.

Given the amount of corn that is grown in the US, it is surprising that this is not more common. I would highly recommend trying it if you have the opportunity. We have a lot of corn fields around here, and I will definitely be going back to get more to try in other dishes.