Huitlacoche - Corn fungus

Huitlacoche – how in the heck do you say that?  

weet/lah/KOH/cheh   And, what in the heck does it mean?  Corn fungus – eewwww – sort of like mushrooms that grow on corn.  It, in fact, tastes like mushrooms grown on corn.  Admittedly, I saw it on menus way before I was gutsy enough to try it.  Dang was it good!  Those Aztecs sure knew good food. 

Huitlacoche is sometimes called the 'Mexican truffle' and are considered by all (including me) a delicacy.  They look pretty disgusting if you dwell on how they look, so just don't stare at them.  You know what truffles are, right?  Truffles are sometimes called 'a diamond in the kitchen'.  It is a fungus!  OK, so we got that out of the way. 

About once or twice a year they are available to us in the grocery stores.  They are not expensive.  Today I bought a package for 29 pesos (about $2.25 US) for 350 grams.   I was so excited!!  So I need more of a life, what exactly are you saying?

Today's topic is probably more for the people living in Mexico than my readers NOB (north of the border).  If you are NOB and have an opportunity to try these, whether at a restaurant or in the grocery store, don't pass them by.  They are amazing and believe me, you will be hooked.  


I love to use them as I would regular mushrooms.  I always give a quick rinse to the fungus – you know me....  Chop them up and mix in with scrambled eggs, in a cream sauce for chicken, to stuff inside a chicken breast, make some mushroom soup by substituting these for the regular mushrooms in the recipe in my book.  They do not last more than a day or 2 in the fridge, but if you sauté some, they will keep in the fridge for several days.  Just use them in one of these ways and your imagination will run wild!!