Chieftain^® Wild Rice Company

CUITLACOCHE ( CORN SMUT )

Description:
Cuitlacoche (wheet-lah-KOH-chay) or Huitlacoche, is also known by the names Corn Smut and Maize Mushroom.  Cuitlacoche is actually a corn fungus (Ustilago Maydis) that produces large, distorted tumors with blue-black spores analogous to mushrooms.  Diseased kernels swell to 10 times their normal size.  Most U.S. farmers consider it a nuisance and destroy the infected ears of corn yet historically the Aztecs are said to have prized Cuitlacoche as a savory delicacy.  The Zuni Indians call Cuitlacoche "corn-soot" and say it symbolizes the "generation of life".  Taking its name from the Aztec word for "ravens excrement", Cuitlacoche has a delicious woody and earthy flavor that is a cross between that of Corn and Mushroom. Cuitlacoche is currently being cultivated in limited quantities in California, Florida, Georgia and Virginia.  Cuitlacoche is also savory when cooked with garlic and chiles and used in crepes, quesadillas or tacos. 

Suggested Use:
Use anyplace that you would use mushrooms for a sweet, earthy flavor reminiscent of corn and mushrooms.  Saute with your favorite chile, onions, garlic, vegetables or meat.  Use Cuitlacoche to enhance your soups, casseroles and pilafs.  Corn Fungus tamales, chiles rellenos con pollo y Cuitlacoche, Cuitlacoche butter, and stuffed avocados are just a few recipes using this unusual fungus.