Production and Marketing of Huitlacoche

Ustilago maydis (Ustilaginaceae) has, perhaps, the unique distinction of being the causal organism of a highly prized edible delicacy and much reviled disease. The fungus causes common corn smut, a disease which can result in economic losses wherever maize (Zea mays L., Poaceae) is grown (Smith and White 1988). Common smut is especially a problem in processing sweet corn, where the galls and spores can foul the equipment and result in an unappetizing product. On the other hand, the very same galls (Fig. 1), which reduce the income of sweet corn producers, are edible and can be a more profitable crop than the corn itself. Huitlacoche (cuitlacoche), the Hispanicized version of the Nahuatl name for the edible galls, has been consumed by the people of central Mexico since pre-contact times (Valverde et al. 1993, 1995; Zepeda et al. 2005). Huitlacoche was also consumed by the Hidatsa people of the upper Missouri (Wilson 1987). During the rainy season, huitlacoche occurs naturally in maize fields of central Mexico where it is gathered by maize growers for sale in Mexico City and surrounding areas. Currently, 400 to 500 tonnes of huitlacoche are sold annually in Mexico City (Villanueva 1997). The popularity of huitlacoche is increasing rapidly in the US, due both to the increasing size of the Mexican-American community and an interest in new foods and fusion cooking especially in high-end restaurants. At least one chef in Madison, Wisconsin gathers huitlacoche from local farmers’ fields for use in his restaurant. Other US restaurants pay as much as $30 to $40 kg–1 for frozen huitlacoche produced by specialty growers (Pataky and Chandler 2003).