Piloto and Kabuto and extended family are all from Oaxaca, and last year they got me hooked on huitlacoche, known in the U.S. as "corn smut". It's a fungus that grows on corn. In America, it's considered the ruin of your crops, making them fit only for the pigs. In Mexico, it's considered a blessing, because it makes your corn worth much more. Supply and demand- one man's disease is another man's tasty treat. The USDA has spent a lot of money trying to eliminate huitlacoche here, and in fact it's illegal to import, though the demand among Mexican-Americans is great enough that there is at least one company that grows it in Florida and cans it for sale here. That's how Piloto saw it on the shelves last year, and bought it just because he thought it was so funny to see it sold in stores- it's such a puebla thing to eat. Sort of like buying pickled watermelon rinds- the folks likely to eat them are likely to make them at home. Last night I saw it on the menu at Chilpancingo, a Mexican restaurant that specializes in precolumbian treats, so I had to get some.

Let me tell you, it is delicious. If you have a bodega near you, look for it, it's a seasonal thing that is only available this time of year. Put it in a quesadilla or scramble it with eggs. When I say it's tasty I mean the average adventurous joe would find it tasty, not just me. If you don't like mushrooms you probably won't like it. Singular tried it and pronounced it to be bland, which most fungus tends to be... a very subtle taste.

The appetizer I had ordered consisted of two huitlacoche sopas and two of chapulines, another Oaxacan treat. Grasshoppers fried with salt and lime. The chef had added a little garlic and onion too. Mmmm-mmm! I'm going back today for more.