Iowa farmers throw out this corn fungus, but in Mexico it's a delicacy
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
An ear of corn with huitlacoche. Photo: Courtesy of Eloteshop
While most Iowans look forward to sweet corn at the peak of summer, another cuisine is ripening at the same time: huitlacoche — a misunderstood corn fungus that's overlooked in the U.S., but considered a delicacy in parts of Mexico.
Why it matters: Iowa farmers throw these infected ears out, but some dining and agricultural experts say Iowa should embrace the earthy fungus and even capitalize on it.
What it is: Huitlacoche, sometimes known in America as "corn smut," is a common fungal disease that grows on crops over the summer season, producing a lumpy, white mold that eventually turns black.
- It grows best when there's heavy precipitation, or on corn damaged by wind or hail, which were both prevalent this summer, says Alison Robertson, a field crops pathologist at Iowa State.
- Once the disease touches the soil, it can persist for a long time. And while she frequently encountered it this year, it wasn't pervasive enough to hurt farmers' corn yields — just more of an annoyance, she says.
- Robertson ate some she found this summer after frying it up on her stovetop with butter and garlic.
It's a delicacy because you can't plan for it. Even at Iowa State, Robertson says it's tricky to grow it in a lab.
- "I would even compare it to a pearl," Gustavo Arellano, a columnist with the Los Angeles Times who writes about Mexican food, tells Axios.
- "Not all oysters give you pearls, but when you do have a pearl from an oyster, it's incredible."
Zoom in: Xochil Fonseca of Texcoco, Mexico, and her husband, David Bonnett of Canberra, Australia, own Eloteshop and sell their white corn (which they grow near Boone) around Iowa and the Twin Cities.
- They sold huitlacoche at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers' Market this summer, though most people walking by were uninterested in it, Bonnett says. Instead, their main customers are Latin Americans who follow their social media page for updates.
- "It's a pretty high-value thing," Bonnett says. "There's lots of Latin Americans, so there is demand, and there's a potential with the foodie types that there's a real interest in it."
What they're saying: It would be difficult to convince Iowans, let alone most Americans, to eat huitlacoche when the English terminology is "corn smut," Arellano says.
Details: In Mexico, it's a popular cuisine in central states like Mexico City and Puebla.
- It is often served in tacos, quesadillas and moles, but there are also more fanciful interpretations served in Michelin-starred restaurants.
As for the taste, it's similar to a mushroom, but more bitter than a portobello, with a deep, earthy flavor, Arellano says.
The bottom line: "Mexicans, we're the people of the corn. Iowans are cousins of the corn. So if they're smart, they've got to talk to the people of the corn and say, hey, what can we do for you?" Arellano says.
- There could be a big market for Iowans selling huitlacoche to Mexicans, he argues.
- "So come on, Iowa farmers; step up."
Where to find it: Look for it next August and September at the Eloteshop's farmers market stand or your local Mexican grocery store.
