[Sca-cooks] huitlacoche?

[Terry Decker]

> Okay, I guess I am behind in more than this list...
>
> What is this "huitlacoche"? This is the first I've heard of this. I 
> assume from the comments that it is some type of fungus that grows  inside 
> corn ears? or on the grown among the corn? Dragon mentions it  is 
> available canned, is it a paste? Or discrete chunks of something?
>
> Stefan

Ustilago maydis (corn smut) is a fungal infection of maize, which usually 
attacks ears of corn replacing the kernals with growths that will produce 
more spores.  The immature fungal growths (before the dry our and spore) may 
be eaten as delicacies.  Corn smut reduces crop yields, so if your goal is 
to grow corn measured in bushels per acre, it's a pest.  It also looks ugly, 
which makes it difficult to think of corn smut as food.

Bear