What is canned huitlacoche?

What is canned huitlacoche?

Huitlacoche is an inky, gray-black mushroom that grows on corn. Huitlacoche is considered a delicacy in Mexican cuisine. The flavor of huitlacoche is a cross between an almost smoky, earthy deep mushroom with hints of sweet corn.

How much does huitlacoche cost?

Instead, huitlacoche is a prized edible delight. Its price on the market—about $15 to $20 per pound—reflects huitlacoche’s culinary status. (You can buy it canned for cheaper, but you shouldn’t: that version is slimy and flavorless.)

Can huitlacoche be cultivated?

Huitlacoche is a fungus that grows naturally on corn, but according to Jozwik, it can be notoriously hard to cultivate as a crop. “Pretty much every single farm field and agricultural field in the Midwest has this (fungus) already in the soil,” Jozwik said.

Is it safe to eat corn fungus?

Is huitlacoche safe to eat? Yes, huitlacoche is definitely safe to eat. It makes a delicious filling for a lot of different Mexican dishes such as tamales and quesadillas.

Is canned huitlacoche?

Huitlacoche can be bought at most Mexican food specialty stores and comes frozen, jarred or canned. Since you don’t have to strip the corn of the fungus, using huitlacoche in this way proves pretty easy and requires little to no prep.

How do you identify huitlacoche?

If you do happen upon it fresh, pick the spores when they are light gray in color on the outside and have a spongy texture. Firm samples are overripe and bitter. For a superior earthy-corn taste, go for huitlacoche that forms on the ears, not the stalk.

What causes huitlacoche?

Huitlacoche is actually a corn disease, caused by the fungus Ustilago maydis. The black, inky material released by huitlacoche is a mass of spores produced by the causal fungus. maydis infects unpollinated corn silks, but the fungus also can infect through wounds caused by heavy wind, heavy rain, or hail.

How do you preserve huitlacoche?

For longer preservation, huitlacoche can be frozen, dried or canned. To freeze, just place the galls in a zip lock bag and pop in the freezer for up to a year, no blanching necessary. You don’t need to grow your own corn to try huitlacoche.

Where do they eat huitlacoche?

Mexico
It is edible, and is known in Mexico as the delicacy huitlacoche; which is eaten, usually as a filling, in quesadillas and other tortilla-based foods, and in soups.

Is the huitlacoche a problem for corn growers?

Huitlacoche can be a major problem for sweet corn growers where it is referred to as common corn smut (see University of Wisconsin Garden Facts XHT1221 “Common Corn Smut”), causing yield and quality losses. However, huitlacoche is also considered a culinary delicacy in many cultures.

Which is the best way to eat huitlacoche?

Huitlacoche is edible, has a smoky, earthy taste, and is an excellent source of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. To enjoy the flavor of huitlacoche to its fullest, harvest galls before they begin to dry, but after they have turned dark grey. DO NOT use galls that are powdery inside when split open.

What does a huitlacoche plant look like after it ruptures?

Huitlacoche initially has a streaked, silvery appearance, but eventually develops a scorched, blackened look. Huitlacoche galls remain smooth until they rupture releasing a black, inky material that eventually becomes sooty, coarse and dry.