In America, the only people who have heard of corn smut are corn farmers. It is a pathogenic fungus that swells and distorts corn into large blueish-black kernels, and usually gets fed to the pigs. The USDA has spent considerable time and money eradicating corn smut. South of the border, throughout Mexico, the same fungus is an ancient delicacy. Since the days of the Aztecs, it has been deliberately inoculated by cutting the stalks so that the water-borne fungus would infect the corn, promoting the development of the highly valued corn smut. It is called by the ancient Nahuatl name, huitlacoche, which means "raven's shit." Ears of corn infected with this dark colored fungus nearly quadruple the value of the corn. It takes on a rich, earthy flavor, retaining notes of the original sweetness of corn, but with far more complexity. When simmered with garlic and chiles, or made into a mole, the corn smut is often served on quesadillas or tamales. Maybe corn smut and raven's shit are not the most inticing monikers, which is why some American chefs are trying the term Mexican truffle! Whatever you call it, don't just throw it to the pigs, find out what the Aztec kings were so excited about.
Thank you for this article. It enabled me to identify the "problem" with some of the corn in my garden. Your article intrigued me so much I decided to cook the corn rather than throw it away (although, I admit, I had to overcome how disgusting it looked). After researching some recipes, I decided to make my own American version. I cooked a combination of white and brown rice using my normal method of adding chicken broth and cooking in a rice cooker. While that was cooking, I heated a few tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan, added 1/2 of a chopped onion and three large cloves of diced garlic until cooked. Then I added the corn smut from two ears of corn, along with the rest of the normal kernals on the cobs, and cooked, stirring, for a couple of minutes. When the rice was done, I stirred the mixture in. Anyone who likes mushrooms should enjoy eating this. The taste is similar, but better. I also read that it is very nutritious.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I can't wait to try this stuff, it's right up my alley. I'm writing a research paper right now on the city of Tenochtitlan. I just saw this stuff on an episode of the show "Chuck's Week Off," in which he travels through culinary Mexico.
ReplyDeleteAll the best