09/03/2024 | Marina Montez, Garden Program Specialist at The Museum of the Grand Prairie
Field Corn in the Midwest is an important economic commodity and all-around staple used as oil and flour to all-purpose sweeteners in candy and soda to feed for cattle and hogs, and for ethanol production. Sweet corn varieties have been studied at the University of Illinois since 1889, providing excitement and anticipation each summer with mild to bubble gum sweet varieties at the ever-present cook outs.
Zea mays or maize has a long history in North and South America, but before the hustling of corn production there was a simple grass that started this journey, called teosinte. About 9000 years ago this ancient grass, that originally had about 6 to 7 grains on each plant, became the corn that we enjoy and depend on today.
Much effort and resources are put into the US corn production because maize is a cornerstone to our food production and economy. The Crop Protection Network estimated that in 2023 over 465 million bushels of corn crops in the United States and Ontario were lost to diseases. One “disease” specific to corn is called Ustilago maydis aka corn smut, or huitlacoche in the Nahuatl language. Corn is no doubt special and worth protecting, but just as old as the ancient maize there is an ancient fungus that was equally prized to the Aztecs as it is today in Mexico and in different parts of the world
Huitlacoche is a fungus that forms galls in maize, turning the kernels grey and swollen. It is considered a pest causing severe damage and economic loss to US farmers. To the ancient Indigenous people, huitlacoche or cuitlacoche, was considered a mystical delicacy. Today it is still prized in Mexico and sold by street vendors, restaurants and even canned and sold at the local grocery store. This natural maize fungus grows under hot humid conditions. It is grown as an alternative crop; Mexican farmers will inoculate the young, unpollinated maize and harvest about 2 weeks later. Consumed by 21 ethnic groups with several different names in various traditional languages, the fresh huitlacoche is cooked together in a mix of epazote, peppers and spices and added to quesadillas or used in creamy sauces, omelets and tamales. The light earthy flavor adds a punch of nutrients containing most of the essential amino acids and high amounts of protein and fiber. The United States has yet to catch on to this treat, however most of the huitlacoche that is consumed in the US is distributed from a company based in Waukegan, Illinois. The Southwestern Indigenous groups such as the Hopi and Zuni have used huitlacoche for centuries in ceremonies, cuisine and as medicine and today the fungus is used to treat a variety of health issues.
Huitlacoche has been an important edible for just about as long as maize has to our southern neighbors. Huitlacoche is a traditional, sacred, national icon unique to Mexico and is worth trying.
A Guide to Huitlacoche (corn mushroom) https://foragerchef.com/huitlacoche-elotes/#post-video
Huitlacoche (Ustilago maydis), an Iconic Mexican Fungal Resource: Biocultural Importance, Nutritional Content, Bioactive Compounds, and Potential Biotechnological Applications https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10254540/
Loss Estimates from United States and Ontario, Canada, 2023, The Crop Production Network 2024
https://cropprotectionnetwork.org/publications/corn-disease-loss-estimates-from-the-united-states-and-ontario-canada-2023Corn
Corn https://extension.illinois.edu/gardening/corn#:~:text=Sweet%20corn%20may%20be%20divided,)%20and%20supersweet%20(Sh2).
What huitlacoche is and how to eat it, Fine Dining Lovers https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/what-huitlacoche-is
What Is Huitlacoche And How Do You Cook It? (foodrepublic.com)
What Is Huitlacoche and Why Don’t Americans Eat More Of It? - Eater
Huitlacoche: Journey into the Enigmatic World of Mexican Cuisine (mexicotravelandleisure.com)
Google AI generated information 2024