I collected some fungus from a commercial corn field several years ago. In my area I find it is difficult to get in pristine condition. Th fungus in the picture is perfect. Objections to it can be overcome. Seldom is a cornfield without the smut. Just another food. I can't locate the pictures but here is my write up.
Corn Smut (Ustilago maydis)
Posted on
August 19, 2011 by
Durgan
19 August 2011 Corn Smut (Ustilago maydis)
Being curious about the edibility of Corn Smut, it was decided to give it a try. In my garden there were four plants infected so these were tried first. The fungus was cooked in butter with garlic and onions and a tomato. It tasted just fine, but really did not give me the flavor of the fungus. The “nut”,my own description, reminds me of a mushroom only grown on corn.
I went to a commercial corn grower and asked to check their field of sweet corn. About a pound of Corn Smut was collected and cooked. This time the Smut was cooked in butter and a splash of soy sauce was added. I ate the half pound, and found it quite good. There was a slight corn taste and the texture was slightly chewy. It would probably make a nice side dish for a typical meal if cooked in the manner described. Apparently the product is touted to be nutritious. There are many recipes touting how to cook on the Internet.
Huitlacoche (WEET-LA-KO-CHEE),(also cuitlacoche), corn smut is highly rated and consumed in Mexico, and is being touted as a nascent gourmet food to the USA.
The membrane surrounding the “egg” if not broken makes for a quality “nut”. Spores form when the membrane is broken, but this portion my be cut away or even utilized.The spores remind me of the billions of spores that emulate from a puff ball,when dry. I will keep some spores and use them to inoculate my corn patch in 2012 to determine if quantity and quality of the smut can be increased.
