If you find gray, lumpy growths in your corn ears, it is a fungus attacking only corn called “Huitlacoche.” It has been a treasured delicacy in Mexico since Aztec times. The swollen infested kernels taste earthy and smoky, like mushrooms with some corn sweetness. It’s rich in protein, and lysine, an amino acid corn usually lacks. The corn fungus happens inadvertently, especially in wet summers. In Mexico it is cultivated by wounding corn ears as silks emerge and introduce Huitlacoche spores from fresh galls. Here it’s called “corn smut,” others call it a delicacy, fit for quesadillas or soup.
Growing Home - Huitlacoche
