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Corn Smut & Raven's Excrement

L

lidawn

Now that I have your attention, I would like to know if any of you have ever used corn smut (or raven's excrement) in your cooking.

weird.

i know - right?

but i discovered this for the first time today. It is a fungus found on corn (a mushroom - literally) and is a delicacy in mexico. there they call it "huitlacoche" (wheat-la-KO-chay) which is a term used for raven's excrement. in the u.s. it is called corn smut and is largely frowned upon and promptly destroyed by farmers upon its discovery.

some in the u.s. have tried calling them american truffles and marketing them, but like my initial reaction most people turn away from them.

i am about to try them. wish me luck!
:idea: :!: :idea: :!:
 
Cool! I've seen this, and knew it existed in some Mexican cuisine, but have never been able to find the stuff. Just make sure you cook it, and preferably cook it in a traditional mexican recipe. This will likely make it taste best. Cheers to you for trying something new, and PLEASE post pics and your thoughts on the taste. This has been an interesting food choice I've wished to try for years now!
 
Unfortunatly i did not take photos of the corn smut. but if you can google the name you'll find lots of photos and understand why I was taken aback by the sight of it protruding from my ear of corn. it's NOT attractive.

The taste test:

Not Bad. I'm not overly mushroomy to begin with... most seem to have very little, if any taste at all, but make good filler in particular dishes. I don't miss them when they are not around. I did not cook the shrooms i found growing out of my corn, but I did wash them very thoroughly in clean cold water.

They actually had a strange woody, sweet flavoring. They must have taken on some of the flavor of the sweetcorn, but maintained that dank woody "aroma/flavor" that I have come to associate with a lot of mushrooms.

I would have to say that they are good. Anyone who loves mushrooms would adore these little babies.

Unfortunately I didn't have enough to actually use in a dish. Just one ear of corn was found affected (so far). But, I can definitely see how they might add a uniqueness to a quesadilla that would bring me back for seconds!

If you can - DO TRY THEM! Telling your friends you ate Raven's Excrement is an added benefit! :)
 
I saw it for sale online recently,but they were sold out.It was canned,so I'm guessing it's available somewhere.I recall it was from Mexico for sure.
 
Just watched Iron Chef America last night Flay vs Samuelsson in "Battle: Corn."

Both chefs used this stuff and I only heard it referred to as "huitlacoche," although I missed the very beginning where Alton might have described what it was.
 
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