Hidden amid the glitz and glamor of Colorado’s latest Michelin awards, announced in mid-September, is an unexpected ingredient common to several of the honorees: a fungus called huitlacoche.
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Known colloquially as corn smut or “Mexican truffle,” huitlacoche grows on corn kernels, transforming them into bulbous, black and gray clusters. Common in central Mexico, where the conditions are right for its natural development, itap a prized delicacy with a culinary history that dates back to the Aztecs, who considered it food fit for the gods.
However, its status as a gourmet ingredient has waxed and waned over time.
“When I was growing up, huitlacoche was everywhere,” said chef Johnny Curiel, whose restaurants, Mezcaleria Alma (one star) and Alteño (recommended), were just added to the Michelin Guide. “For a long time, it was seen as undesirable, even a mistake, because it ruined the corn. But, like anything else in history, it started being consumed out of necessity. Now itap like Mexican gold.”
While the look of huitlacoche may be intimidating — even off-putting — to some, its distinctive flavor is relatively mild. Earthy and musky, with a hint of sweetness from the corn, and a soft, almost creamy texture, it produces a perfect umami sensation.
“I think times and trends change, and umami is definitely having its moment across the United States,” said Aiden Tibbetts, winner of this year’s Colorado Michelin Young Chef Award and executive chef at Wildflower, 3638 Navajo St., another Denver restaurant that was added to Michelin’s list of recommended restaurants in Colorado.
These days, farmers produce the fungus in a controlled batch of a young corn crop, he explained. “Most of the time, they’re either injecting or soaking the fungus into the ear of corn before it pollinates.”
In Wildflower’s kitchen, where the heavily seasonal, vegetable-driven menu takes inspiration from Mexican and Italian cuisines, Tibbetts has used huitlacoche in several dishes – from corn cavatelli to polenta.
“I’m not from Mexico, I’m not from Italy. These are cuisines that I’m trying to gain inspiration from, but not completely replicate. We’re using their ingredients and their mindsets, but we want to make them our own because we’re Wildflower,” he said.
The corn agnolotti, which was on Wildflower’s summer menu until recently, has become one of the restaurantap staples. The pasta is stuffed with a huitlacoche and parmesan paste in a dish that is meant to showcase the full lifecycle of corn.
“We use corn shoots from Mountain Man Micro Farms, huitlacoche from the fungus, roasted corn from Fresh Guys, heirloom popcorn tossed in our housemade tajín, and even corn-spun cotton candy made with corn extract. The dish is finished with mussels in a broth we make in-house, and of course, the huitlacoche paired with parmesan,” he said. “When you bite into it, you get this burst of creamy, melty, earthy, umami all at once.”
While Tibbetts takes inspiration from Mexican cuisine, for Curiel, itap much more personal. “For me, huitlacoche is sentimental. I grew up eating it, so itap one of my favorite flavors in the world,” he said. “There will never be a time we don’t have huitlacoche on one of our menus.”
All of Curiel’s restaurants – which include the one-Michelin-starred Alma Fonda Fina and Mezcaleria Alma, which are side by side in Denver’s Lower Highland neighborhood, as well as Michelin Bib Gourmand-noted Cozobi Fonda Fina in Boulder and Michelin-recommended Alteño, in Cherry Creek – are a love letter to Mexico, so itap no surprise huitlacoche is featured.
“We fly ours in fresh directly from Mexico, and honestly, aside from truffles, itap the most expensive ingredient we use at Alteño,” Curiel said.
And he believes it’s well worth the cost. At Alteño, huitlacoche appears in the pan de elote as a butter. The chef cooks down the huitlacoche into a paste and seasons it with a bit of acid, garlic and spice. “When you spread it on the hot corn bread, that musky, earthy tone ties the whole dish together. Itap corn on corn on corn on corn,” he said with a laugh.
That butter also appears in the restaurantap carne asada. Curiel uses the corn smut in the chile relleno in the form of huitlacoche esquites, too. Then, there’s the Burrata con Huitlacoche at Mezcaleria Alma. Far from your typical burrata, this dish incorporates huitlacoche succotash. Itap sweet and savory, creamy and crunchy.
“We did a super creamy burrata with a salsa verde thatap herbaceous with mint, basil, shiso. Then we added esquites cooked with corn, garlic, epazote, cilantro, Serrano, and huitlacoche,” he said.
Curiel has taken creative liberties with the corn fungus, but he points out that, in Mexico, itap traditionally used in quesadillas, enchiladas, or in queso fundido. “My parents, my grandma, anybody that I can remember, it was always kind of cooked like a Sofrito with onions, peppers, a little bit of tomato, and then maybe you have corn in the huitlacoche and you let it steep with a little bit of garlic and finish with epazote. You put that on anything and you’re golden.”
To find huitlacoche in its traditional form, head to chef Jose Avila’s Michelin Bib Gourmand-listed La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal, 2233 Larimer St., in the River North Art District.
While huitlacoche might be expensive to source, Avila is dedicated to keeping his prices accessible. At La Diabla, the corn fungus appears in the Esquites con Tuétano ($10), served with a generous portion of bone marrow on the side, which he suggests pouring right on top of the esquites, like they do in Mexico City. And at El Borrego Negro, Avila’s adjacent Mexican barbacoa concept and puleque bar, customers can order the huitlacoche quesadillas for only $13.
“Fresh huitlacoche can go up to $60 a pound, frozen maybe $30 a pound. We do it fresh, sourced from Mile High Fungi in Littleton. You really can taste the difference,” Avila explained, saying that he cuts it right off the corn cob. “I want to see you at my restaurants all the time, not just on special occasions, thatap why we price our menus the way we do.”
Many of his customers are familiar with huitlacoche. “People who grew up with it, like me, come in, and it brings back memories. Itap family, itap home. When they see the barbacoa, the pulque, the huitlacoche, the chicharron prensado quesadilla, itap comforting. They know what to expect, but at the same time, itap dishes they haven’t eaten since [coming to the United States].
For others, there’s an educational aspect, he added.
While Avila – who has also earned two James Beard Award nominations – appreciates the accolades, he pointed out that his restaurants have never been about gaining critical acclaim.
“I knew about the James Beard, and I knew about Michelin…but now that we’ve been recognized by them for what we do, I think it’s great,” said Avila. “I think for years, a lot of these accolades were just given to fancy restaurants, and now, it’s about the food, not only about the white tablecloth or how much you spend on the decor.”
