huitlacoche

noun

huit·​la·​co·​che ˌwēt-lə-ˈkō-chā 

variants or less commonly cuitlacoche

ˌkwēt-lə-ˈkō-chā 

1

: corn kernels that have been infected by a fungus (Mycosarcoma maydis syn Ustilago maydis) that causes corn smut and that are eaten as a delicacy especially in Mexican cuisine : corn smut sense 2

If you want fresh huitlacoche you'll probably have to get it directly from a farmer or at a market that sells Mexican produce. It will likely still be on the cob, and you'll need to break off the lobes and cook them gently with some sautéed onion, roasted poblano chiles, a little tomato and cilantro. Use it as a filling for quesadillas or enchiladas.

—Rick Bayless

… jicama tacos with cuitlacoche …

—The El Paso Times

… a terrine of smoky huitlacoche … and silky foie gras.

—Margo True

2

: the fungus that causes corn smut : corn smut sense 1b

… huitlacoche grows on corn kernels, transforming them into bulbous, black and gray clusters.

—Sara Rosenthal

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Mexican Spanish, borrowed from Nahuatl cuitlacochin, compound of uncertain composition

Note: The initial element cuitla- appears to be cuitlatl "excrement." Alonso de Molina's 16th-century dictionary glosses it mierda "shit," Rémi Siméon's 19th-century dictionary excremento, fiemo, inmundicia, residuo; llaga, tumor, absceso ("excrement, dung, filth, waste; sore, tumor, abscess"). The identity of the second element is unclear; semantically it is unlikely to be connected with the verb cochi "sleep." Peculiarly, cuitlacochin is also given as the name of the curve-billed thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre) in the Florentine Codex, a 16th-century compendium of Aztec life and culture. The differing initial of the variant huitlacoche, apparently the more common form in Mexico, appears to be unexplained.

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 2