Woohoo, Corn Smut!!!!!!!!
I just found a few ears colonized by the "Mexican truffle"! It is heirloom sweet corn, so even raw, the Huitacoche fungus tastes like super rich, earthy, sweet corn. I'm going to put it on a Margarita Pizza with heirloom tomatoes and home grown basil... If I find anymore I'll make Cream of Corn Smut soup and maybe some Duxelles!
Comments
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Holy Cow!!!!!!!!!!
I admit, I have never had a fresh, perigord truffle. I have had them dried, infused in oil, etc. The corn smut did not have a strong mushroom flavor, but it enhanced the flavor of the tomatoes, cheese, basil, olive oil, etc! I then ate some bacon, after having just eaten the corn smut. WOW! You know that intense "bacon bits' flavor? Imagine that x100! I love sweet corn, but now, I want to grow corn smut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Can you encourage corn smut to grow? Can you take some of the spores and infect other ears?
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@judsoncarroll4 I was always under the impression growing up that corn smut was a bad thing. Twenty years ago I toured the kitchen of a 5 star restaurant where they served it on the menu as a delicacy and it was expensive, too. I was blown away. All this time I had been throwing it away and could have been eating it, although to this day I've never tried it. Smut is such an unappetizing word. I much prefer the sound of huitlacoche and the way it rolls off the tongue.
I'm glad you liked it. Does it have a truffle taste?
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That's astonishing @judsoncarroll4 ! It was always a bad thing on my dad's corn crops and we never dreamed of touching it, let alone eating it.
One year the broccoli beside our corn got a smut, too. I wonder if that was edible?
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I have heard that folks are trying that - not sure how it is going though.
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Eaten raw, it is somewhere between truffle and sweet corn in flavor. Cooked, it seems to just enhance the flavor of everything else
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I'm sure most of it gets thrown out for that very reason.
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I don't think I could eat that. The look of it alone is scary.
I'm not brave enough.😳
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I'm pretty adventurous with food, but it looks sketchy. I'd probably burn the corn field down if I saw it in my garden.
@judsoncarroll4 thank you for being the brave one!
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It is sooooo good!
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Looks can be deceiving. A black truffle looks like poop and morels look like brains!
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Oh, I've been wanting to try that. I listened to an NPR program years ago about huitlacoche and have been curious ever since. And I'm with @naomi.kohlmeier on the name.
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Huitlacoche quesadillas are sublime. Had them in '97, in a little restaurant tucked away in Colima, and, almost 25 yrs later, my mouth still waters at the memory.
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No doubt - great stuff! With cheese and some habanero sauce... let the fungi shine through.
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@Allene Welcome to the forum!
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I have to admit that I have never seen this fungus. I may have heard of it by its common name, but I'm not sure. It would have been in a negativelight if I did. "Smut" certainly sounds like a bad thing. I kind of agree with some of the others about its look but do understand that looks can be deceiving.
How is it prepared? Does it still look as scary on a plate? Are those things soft or hard? Do you slice the strange blobs up or leave them whole? Does it smell on the plant and also when it's cooked? What conditions does it appear in? Dies the seed come infected or is it something that just appears from conditions or an insect or something in the air infecting it? Is the flavor that is tasted an umami flavor since it enhances other foods? What makes this happen? Just tell me more.
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I have heard of this. Though I'm not sure I'm bold enough to actually eat it....
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My oldest daughter asked me what this was today. Thanks to this discussion, I could tell her. Thanks, @judsoncarroll4
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Did y'all eat it?
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Well, we would have quite a drive to get it. I sent the link to the thread and told her to try it. She is pretty adventurous, and my aunt moreso (I told her too) so we'll see.
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recommend cooking it with bacon and onions
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I passed that along.
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Saw this in my inbox this morning. Thought I'd share with all you who are brave enough to try this.😄
https://morningchores.com/corn-smut/
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