How huitlacoche grows
Responding to Suzy Oakes’ question about how huitlacoche grows, here’s an ear I picked up today. I’m sure the young woman was totally mystified by my choice of this fairly scruffy specimen but it shows the withered grains and the fungus growing at the bottom.
And here I have sawed through the ear. You can see how the fungus has insinuated itself into the grains, inexorably pushing out until black smut has taken over the entire grain and expanded it to two or three times its size.
Several of my Mexico food buddies have come to my aid on this. Do read Cristina Potter’s comment and link to her informative posting plus a lovely recipe. And do look at the photos that Betsy McNair took while she was with Diana Kennedy.
And, just for basics, the Wikipedia article is pretty good.
But my bottom line remains, either I don’t have the sensory organs to get it or huitlacoche is vastly overrated. Too bad for something so dramatic.
Edit. And yet more photos from another buddy, Ruth Alegria.
It tastes good (pretty much just like mushrooms), but you’ve got to get to it before it becomes full of black spores. I found a bunch in our experimental maize fields this year and was hoping to cook some, but every piece I found was already too old.
http://thescientistgardener.blogspot.com/2009/08/i-heart-smut-fungi.html