The Culinary and Cultural Significance of A Delicacy in Mexican Cuisine
2 min read
Huitlacoche, sometimes pronounced whee-tla-KO-cheh, is sometimes referred to as Mexican truffle, maize mushroom, or corn smut. It’s a fungus that grows on organic maize at random and isn’t treated with fungicides. “Huitlacoche” is the name given to a type of fungus, Ustilago maydis, that grows on corn. Since the time of the Aztecs, huitlacoche has been a delicacy in Mexican cuisine. It adds flavor in soups, tamales, quesadillas, and other meals because of its earthy, smokey flavor. The sources go into the huitlacoche fungus’s flavor characteristic, popular applications in Mexican cooking, and culinary and cultural significance. The book “Huitlacoche Animal” mostly discusses the Toxostoma cinereum bird species; it does not mention huitlacoche in any way.
WHICH HEALTH BENEFITS DOES HUITLACOCHE OFFER?
The following are some of the main health advantages of huitlacoche:
Excellent supply of minerals, vitamins, fatty acids, dietary fiber, and protein:
According to the first source, huitlacoche has a high nutritional content and contains essential elements like protein, fiber, fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins that can improve nutrition and food security.
Source of cholesterol-lowering beta-glucans:
Huitlacoche’s beta-glucans have been shown in the second source to have a lowering effect on cholesterol.
More protein and vital amino acids than corn:
The fourth source contrasts the nutritional value of huitlacoche and diseased maize, pointing out that the latter has a higher lysine level and more protein than healthy corn.
Nutritional components, bioactive substances that improve health, amino acids like lysine, beta-glucans that lower cholesterol, and a higher protein/amino acid concentration than corn are some of the main advantages. Considered a nutrient-dense cuisine, its advantages date back to the Aztec era.
WHERE IS HUITLACOCHE ANIMAL SUPPLIED?
Listed below are a few locations where you can purchase huitlacoche:
Fiesta supermarkets: The fourth result states that huitlacoche are present in the international/Latin food aisles of Fiesta grocery shops, perhaps in cans from companies like Goya or La Costeña.
H-E-B supermarkets: It is also available at select HEB locations, presumably in the international foods department, according to the fourth source.
El Rancho supermarket: According to the second result, El Rancho offers fresh huitlacoche in jars, which could taste better than the canned variety.
Oaxacan street food trucks: The El Alebrije truck in EaDo, Houston, which serves huitlacoche quesadillas, is mentioned in the fourth source. It might also be available on other Oaxacan trucks.
Farmers’ markets in Mexico: According to the third result, local farmers’ markets in Mexico offer fresh huitlacoche in baskets.
WHAT IS THE HUITLACOCHE PRICE RANGE?
Fresh huitlacoche bird typically costs between $15 and $20 per pound in the United States.
- A pound of fresh huitlacoche costs roughly $15 to $20.
- Huitlacoche, frozen, costs $30 per pound for one-pound bags.
- $25 for two-pound packs per pound
- Three-pound sacks are $25 per pound.
- $20 for four-pound sacks per pound
- $5 per pound for packs of five pounds
- Six-pound packages cost $25 per pound.
