Smut: The Answer To Hurricane Anxiety

No... the other smut. Tonight I tasted smut for the first time. Specifically, I had cuitlacoche stuffed chicken. Come on, even though it's hurricane central here right now, a man's gotta eat!

Cuitlacoche (pronounced qweet-la-COAT-shay), also called corn smut, maize mushroom and huitlacoche , is produced when the fungus Ustilago mydis comes in contact with an ear of corn. The fungus grows inside the kernels, causing them to swell and turn black and silvery gray.

Although most U.S. farmers consider it a plague and destroy infected ears, the Aztecs and Mayans prized cuitlacoche--which translates to mean raven's poop (in Nahuatl cuitlatl means "excrement," cochi means "black"). Enthusiasts say that cuitlacoche has a smoky-sweet flavor that's a cross between that of corn and mushroom. I didn't so much pick up on any sweet corn taste, but it definitely had that earthy, creamy mushroom flavor going on. It was delicious.

Cuitlacoche is currently being cultivated in limited quantities in California, Florida, Georgia and Virginia. It's sold canned and frozen in some gourmet markets. It can occasionally be found in specialty produce and farmer's markets (during corn season) and can also be purchased by mail order. Cuitlacoche is used in a variety of dishes including sautés, soups, casseroles — in general, any preparation where cooked mushrooms would be appropriate.