Alien Corn Truffle
These past weeks we have been in the Mexican "spirit" (see what I did there). A truly inspirational and largely undiscovered cuisine. Undiscovered not as not-widely-known but undiscovered as in, people only know small amounts of the cuisine and are not introduced to its full potential. But what does that full potential look like? The answer is Huitlacoche (whee-tla-KOH-cheh).
Truffle everywhere
The past decade of Western cuisine can be summarised in one word: truffle.
TRUFFLE EVERYWHERE.
Truffle oil, truffle mayonnaise, truffle ham, truffle cheese and truffle ice cream. My god. the high-end western cuisine was dominated by an impeccable dish to ultimately be drowned in shaved black or white truffles.
Mexican Truffle
Time to bring some novelty to the truffle world. With the Mexican Truffle, huitlacoche. Where a novel Italian truffle is found under soil rich forests, the huitlacoche is found above ground. It doesn't sound that nice to be fair as it's a disease that grows on the corn plant. Not only does it sound that nice, but it also looks a bit iffy.
But as with many things. The weird, the ugly and the unappealing often tastes the most interesting.
Huitlacoche
Huitlacoche stems from Nahuatl. The language of the Aztecs still spoken by more than a million people in Central Mexico today. It roughly translates to "sleeping excrescence", because it grows on corn and halts their growth.
The ancient Aztecs' diet consisted primarily of corn and maize. Naturally, the fungus would appear often and as with all things humans were like,
βPossibly edible, definitely tryingβ
It turned out as a delicious treat. The fungus grew out to be a cultural staple for the Aztecs. Not just the Aztecs but even Native American tribes loved Huitlacoche. Naming it "Nanha", which means "generation of life".
The fungus served an important culinary, ceremonial and even medical purpose for the Native American tribes. There are no records of what medicinal purpose it served. Although going by academic records, it is high in protein and the anxiety-reducing amino acid, lysine.
In the kitchen
Welcome to the kitchen! We have just left the cornfields and picked this amazing ear of huitlacoche. How are we going to prepare it, what are we paring it with and when can we eat? All relevant questions but let's get to the core. what does it taste like?
Think portobello mushroom, infused in corn and smoked. Intensely earthy and explosively rich.
This makes it excellent as a standout but versatile ingredient. You can stay true to the authenticity and diversity of the Mexican cuisine by making a taco or quesadilla put it in a mole. Or go on an adventurous trip and prepare it in a risotto or a pasta.
Carlos GaytΓ‘n, the chef of Tzuco in Chicago, has used huitlacoche in various forms. In one of his highlight dishes hee uses the huitlacoche as a crostini and in its purest form accompanied with a tartare of venison, huitzuco cheese and pickled black trumpet.
Can huitlacoche even compete with the black truffle in terms of versatility?
The truth
The truth always hurts and so does this one because huitlacoche is in danger. There is a great threat of extinction of the huitlacoche fungus because genetically modified corn has run rampant on the biodiversity of Mexico. These past weeks on Foodistory, we have talked a lot about the biodiversity of Mexico. That diversity is what makes the cuisine standout.
The cultivation of the corn is dynamic and constantly changing and the natural process of pollination causes the yield to change each year. Mexico's diversity grew exponentially over time by farmers who travelled long distances to exchange seeds with each other. Ultimately looking for ways to increase the yields via cross-pollination.
Mexico's "National Commission for the Understanding and Use of Biodiversity" divides the different species of corn into different subgroups. As a result of cross-pollination, there are around 220 species of corn in Latin America, 64 of which are Mexican.
GMO's
With genetically modified seeds entering the market in Mexico in favour of the heirloom seeds. The biodiversity is swept under the rug for a monopolising crop that cultivates only a few types of corn. This type of corn is immune to "diseases" like the huitlacoche fungus. This means that this iconic part of the Mexican cuisine will soon be cured and go extinct.
Luckily some people are taking action like the NGO's; Colectividad del MaΓz and Slow Food. Holding corporations accountable for their cultural assault, on heirloom seeds. These NGOs are fighting for the preservation of the diversity of the corn species and rightly so. Not only are they fighting for corn, they are fighting for the whole of Mexico
Mighty Fungus
To summarise: huitlacoche is a phenomenal addition to every dish that plays on the roots of mother Earth. It is only a matter of time before we see it in Europe. For now, black truffle reigns the throne, but the corn fungus is growing in its wake and maybe puts the Italian truffle to sleep. For now, grow on sleeping giant. See you in my culinary dreams