Fascinating: New Yorkers are Finally Eating “Corn Truffles”

Corn planting season is right around the corner in New York, and a delicacy that many local farmers may have seen as a disaster in the past is growing in popularity.

Like many other specialty foods, the United States is behind the curve when it comes to adopting the dish that has been wildly popular in other countries for years (and even centuries). It's easier to understand when you discover that "corn smut" (which is currently experiencing a rebrand as "corn truffle"), is a fungus.

"Corn Truffles" in New York

Pictures of corn truffles look like something out of a science-fiction movie, and for good reason. The "attack" the Ustilago maydis fungus launches on growing corn stalks could have been ripped directly from a Hollywood script. From NPR:

The smut, from a fungus called Ustilago maydis, literally transforms each corn kernel into a bulbous, bulging bluish-grey gall. [The fungus] is naturally present in the soil and can be lofted easily into the air and onto plants.

Corn Smut Makes Huitlacoche

It's taken years, but the delicacy that's known as "huitlacoche" in Mexico is finally being adopted by American chefs. Praised for its "inky, mushroomy flavor that is almost impossible to describe", huitlacoche is used in everything from quesadillas to soup and can be found in high-end New York restaurants like the James Beard House.

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So attention, amateur farmers; if your small corn harvest is "ruined" by the invading Ustilago maydis fungus, don't despair! Just call your nearest Michelin-starred restaurant and get ready to feast.