Have you heard about the “Mexican truffle”?
As I continue posting about Mexican foods, let me take you on a journey to explore huitlacoche, a delicacy often called the “Mexican truffle.”
Huitlacoche, a corn fungus with a rich, earthy flavour, may not be widely known outside Mexico. Still, it holds a treasured place in Mexican cuisine. Let’s uncover its unique properties, culinary uses, and cultural pride.
What makes huitlacoche stand out from the crowd?
Huitlacoche, or cuitlacoche, maize mushroom or corn smut, forms naturally when the fungus Mycosarcoma maydis (Ustilago maydis) infects corn kernels. While this might sound unconventional, huitlacoche transforms the corn into a savoury ingredient with a smoky, umami-rich flavour. Its bold taste has earned it comparisons to mushrooms or truffles.
Potential health benefits
Like many traditional foods, huitlacoche offers more than just flavour:
- Bioactive compounds: Huitlacoche contains bioactive compounds, including antioxidants, that may help fight off oxidative stress, which is involved in chronic diseases (López-Martínez et al., 2022).
- Metabolic health: Research in animal models suggests huitlacoche may reduce inflammation and improve markers of metabolic health (González-Ibáñez et al., 2023).
- Gut health: Huitlacoche contains prebiotic fibre that may support a healthy gut microbiome (Villagrán et al., 2023).
Let’s take these potential benefits with a pinch of salt, as no studies on the possible health benefits of huitlacoche in humans have been published so far.
How to use huitlacoche
Huitlacoche is a versatile ingredient that can enrich a variety of dishes. In Mexico, you can buy it fresh but also tinned. Here are a few ways to incorporate it into your meals:
- Quesadillas: Combine huitlacoche with melted cheese in a warm tortilla for a satisfying snack.
- Soups: Add huitlacoche to a creamy corn or squash soup for a smoky depth of flavour.
- Tacos: Fill them with huitlacoche, cooked with garlic, coriander, or epazote leaves, your favourite salsa, and a sprinkle of fresh cheese.
- Crepes: My mother’s huitlacoche crepes are a perfect example of culinary fusion. She combines the earthy richness of huitlacoche with the light texture of homemade crepes (and a chipotle sauce, yum!), creating a comforting dish (more than happy to share the recipe).
Cultural connection
Huitlacoche is full of history. Precolumbian indigenous communities recognised its culinary potential, turning what might have been discarded into a prized ingredient. Huitlacoche continues to represent creativity (and flavour) in Mexican culture.
For me, huitlacoche also represents the power of food to connect generations. My mother’s huitlacoche crepes embody this idea by blending traditional Mexican and French cuisines, reminding me of the beauty of culinary exploration.
Bringing huitlacoche to your table
Huitlacoche is a food worth exploring (you will love or hate it). Its bold flavour, nutritional properties, and cultural history make it unique. Its smoky, umami-rich taste is unforgettable: some find it irresistible, while others might take time to appreciate it. How will huitlacoche inspire your next culinary adventure?
References:
López-Martínez, L. X., Aguirre-Delgado, A., Saenz-Hidalgo, H. K., Buenrostro-Figueroa, J. J., García, H. S., & Baeza-Jiménez, R. (2022). Bioactive ingredients of huitlacoche (Ustilago maydis), a potential food raw material. Food chemistry. Molecular sciences, 4, 100076. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fochms.2022.100076
González-Ibáñez, L., Meneses, M. E., Sánchez-Tapia, M., Pérez-Luna, D., Torres, N., Torre-Villalvazo, I., Bonilla, M., Petlacalco, B., Castillo, I., López-Barradas, A., Macías, A., Tovar, A. R., & Martínez-Carrera, D. (2023). Edible and medicinal mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus, Ustilago maydis, Ganoderma lucidum) reduce endoplasmic reticulum stress and inflammation in adipose tissue of obese Wistar rats fed with a high fat plus saccharose diet. Food & function, 14(11), 5048–5061. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3fo00089c
Villagrán, Z., Martínez-Reyes, M., Gómez-Rodríguez, H., Ríos-García, U., Montalvo-González, E., Ortiz-Basurto, R. I., Anaya-Esparza, L. M., & Pérez-Moreno, J. (2023). Huitlacoche (Ustilago maydis), an Iconic Mexican Fungal Resource: Biocultural Importance, Nutritional Content, Bioactive Compounds, and Potential Biotechnological Applications. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 28(11), 4415. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28114415
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