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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / November 2005Ping Victor, re "weird" food
Hi - I was telling my son of the thread about some of the "odd" cuisines some cultures have adopted, and he wanted me to ask you if you've ever had "huitlacoche" which seems to be of Mexican origin. He thinks it's popular there and spreading. What say you? Thanks. Jeanne The Mexican truffle good stuff considering what it is Excellent in omelets but got to served with hot sauces For the rest of you wondering what the heck is that In Mexico, Huitlacoche (wheat-lah-KOH-chay) is a delicacy to be savored. The word Huitlacoche comes from the Nahuatl language describing a wild mushroom fungus that grows in sweet corns; infected kernels grow large and oddly shaped, turning grey or black as they fill with spores. Huitlacoche is a bulbous black fungus that infects corn, producing silvery, swollen, pebble like kernels. Huitlacoches kernels have a smoky-sweet flavor Also called corn smut, maize mushroom, Mexican truffle >The word Huitlacoche comes from the Nahuatl language describing a wild >mushroom fungus that grows in sweet corns; infected kernels grow large and [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >swollen, pebble like kernels. Huitlacoches kernels have a smoky-sweet flavor >Also called corn smut, maize mushroom, Mexican truffle I still can't quite imagine it - it sounds "sick" - like infected moldy corn. So it just looks like black corn kernels? Smut??? I don't know how Chris got his info but I got pretty much turned off when he said the Mexican Indians' translation was "raven excrement." Say it isn't so!!!!! Jeanne > >The word Huitlacoche comes from the Nahuatl language describing a wild > >mushroom fungus that grows in sweet corns; infected kernels grow large and [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Jeanne I've seen it on a food channel or something like that. It looks awful, but people eat it. Heck, people eat chocolate covered bugs, tripe, freshly dead monkey brains - why not moldy, fungus corn? I know it's sick, but still....... kili >>The word Huitlacoche comes from the Nahuatl language describing a wild >>mushroom fungus that grows in sweet corns; infected kernels grow large and [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Jeanne I'm still trying to climb over the fact certain molds on certain grain products can be very harmful. I believe I'd have to see it fresh because I'm thinking it's one of those things that sounds worse than it is. Grace >>>The word Huitlacoche comes from the Nahuatl language describing a wild >>>mushroom fungus that grows in sweet corns; infected kernels grow large and [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > >Grace As with mushrooms, you probably wouldn't want to eat just any moldy corn, but rather would be well advised to get some that was harvested by someone knowledgeable enough to pick just the safe variety.  SignatureJohn F. Eldredge -- john@jfeldredge.com PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria > I believe I'd have to see it fresh because I'm thinking it's one of those > things that sounds worse than it is. http://www.troygardens.org/huitlacoche.html http://www.troygardens.org/huitlacocheproject.html SignatureVictor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com >>The word Huitlacoche comes from the Nahuatl language describing a wild >>mushroom fungus that grows in sweet corns; infected kernels grow large and [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Jeanne Is it all that weirder than how cheese is made-- real cheese, not Kraft? I mean, it's rotten milk, that various micro-organisms have been allowed to go to town on. ;) Theresa Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com Make Levees, Not War > moldy corn. So it just looks like black corn kernels? Smut??? I It doesn't look any weirder or nastier than truffles. :) I'm telling you, it's delicious! Not an acquired taste either, you'll love it the first time you try it. SignatureVictor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com >It doesn't look any weirder or nastier than truffles. :) I'm telling >you, it's delicious! Not an acquired taste either, you'll love it the >first time you try it. Well, you've sold *me*!! That kind of enthusiasm can't steer me wrong! I think "weird" is a misnomer, maybe "odd" or "different" to one unfamiliar with it. Though I must admit the descriptions I've heard and read were a bit of a turn-off. Thanks. Jeanne > some cultures have adopted, and he wanted me to ask you if you've ever > had "huitlacoche" which seems to be of Mexican origin. He thinks it's > popular there and spreading. What say you? Thanks. Huitlacoche is one of my favorite things to eat, definitely my favorite fungus. :) You can buy it here in the US canned, which is not bad at all. My mom always freezes some for me to have when I come down for X-mas. SignatureVictor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com >> some cultures have adopted, and he wanted me to ask you if you've >> ever had "huitlacoche" which seems to be of Mexican origin. He [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > You can buy it here in the US canned, which is not bad at all. My mom > always freezes some for me to have when I come down for X-mas. I buy canned Menudo because I can't find fresh tripe anywhere. People think I'm weird but there must be a reason it's available in tins :) I add Mexican oregano and espasote seasonings to it, and sometimes cayenne pepper sauce if it's not spicy enough for me ;) For Thanksgiving dinner I plan on roasting a deboned chicken stuffed with boudin... anyone know what boudin is? (I do, and Catnipped is excluded from this impromptu quiz!) Jill > >> some cultures have adopted, and he wanted me to ask you if you've > >> ever had "huitlacoche" which seems to be of Mexican origin. He [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Jill No, never heard of it, or Menudo - what's that? Or espasote for that matter. How does Menudo replace tripe - I remember seeing tripe in a butchers when I was a kid, but not sure if they still sell it in England, I'm very squeamish since going veggie and tend to hold my nose and avert my eyes when I walk past a butchers shop, they pong to me. I think I knew I had to give up meat when I started only buying it frozen and pre-packaged and bunging it straight into the oven without touching it if possible! Also I have only something like 5% sense of smell and my mum caught me attempting to cook some bad meat that I couldn't smell had gone off, eew. >>>> some cultures have adopted, and he wanted me to ask you if you've >>>> ever had "huitlacoche" which seems to be of Mexican origin. He [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > smell > had gone off, eew. If you've gone vegetarian you definitely don't want Menudo! Menudo is a tripe and hominy stew, which is to say, whole corn kernels soaked in lye until they swell up. (They are rinsed of lye prior to being dried or canned.) It's a precursor for grinding hominy grits. Please don't make me explain grits. I spelled Epazote wrong... it's a Mexican herb. Strong in taste, doesn't require much for anything. Used in soups, stews, etc. Jill > >>>> some cultures have adopted, and he wanted me to ask you if you've > >>>> ever had "huitlacoche" which seems to be of Mexican origin. He [quoted text clipped - 42 lines] > > Jill I think I might have seen grits when I was in Atlanta, isn't it a bit like porride? But I still don't know what lye is and is hominy just a name or is it actually an ingredient? >>>>>> some cultures have adopted, and he wanted me to ask you if you've >>>>>> ever had "huitlacoche" which seems to be of Mexican origin. He [quoted text clipped - 47 lines] > like porride? But I still don't know what lye is and is hominy just a > name or is it actually an ingredient? http://www.foodsubs.com/GrainCorn.html To get straight to the point, it's corn. Treated, but corn. Grits is a lot like a porridge, yes. Ground corn (but let us get more confusing, not corn meal so we aren't talking about polenta). See the link :) Jill >If you've gone vegetarian you definitely don't want Menudo! Menudo is a >tripe and hominy stew, which is to say, whole corn kernels soaked in lye [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >I spelled Epazote wrong... it's a Mexican herb. Strong in taste, doesn't >require much for anything. Used in soups, stews, etc. Grits aren't horrible, just bland. They are made from hominy, which, as described above, is corn kernels that have been soaked in lye to dissolve the outer skin. The lye is then rinsed away, the hominy is dried, and it is then ground into particles about the texture of coarse sand. They are cooked by boiling into a form of porridge. As a southern boy, I occasionally eat grits. As I said above, cooked grits are bland, so I usually add butter or margarine, and black pepper. SignatureJohn F. Eldredge -- john@jfeldredge.com PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria > >If you've gone vegetarian you definitely don't want Menudo! Menudo is a > >tripe and hominy stew, which is to say, whole corn kernels soaked in lye [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better > than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria What's Lye? I'll stop asking now. I counted about 50 different types of food from different countries that are available in London, then gave up counting, obviously "American" isn't one of them apart from the obvious burgers, steaks etc. or I'd know more about it. I know in the UK there are many different types of regional cuisines, I wonder how many there are in the USA. The only food that I've had that I really hated was in Ireland, it was too bland for me, if I go again I will take my own herbs and spices with me. >What's Lye? Lye is either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide depending on how it's made. It's used in tanning hides, soap making, drain cleaner, etc. It is extremely caustic and will take the paint off of anything it falls on. When it's mixed with water it will get hot enough to melt the grease in drains. The pioneers in the USA made it by leaching rainwater through hardwood ashes. This is probably the lye that they used in making hominy. I hope this answers your question. Purrs and Hugs, Nan and the furkids A wise man talks because he has something to say; a fool talks because he has to say something. >>What's Lye? > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >The pioneers in the USA made it by leaching rainwater through hardwood >ashes. This is probably the lye that they used in making hominy. Lye is a base, which makes it the chemical opposite of an acid, but just as potentially destructive. Acids and bases neutralize each other. It's also used for making lutefisk. Theresa Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com Make Levees, Not War > >>What's Lye? > > [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > Make Levees, Not War Stop doing this to me! OK, what's lutefisk? :) >>>> What's Lye? >>> [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >> > Stop doing this to me! OK, what's lutefisk? :) How about making this easier... where are you? Jill >> >>What's Lye? >> > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > >Stop doing this to me! OK, what's lutefisk? :) It's Norwegian dried codfish soaked in lye. I looked it up on Google. Purrs and Hugs, Nan and the furkids A wise man talks because he has something to say; a fool talks because he has to say something. >>> >>What's Lye? >>> > [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > >Purrs and Hugs, I went back and googled "lutefisk" and noticed that practically all the sites returned were for lutefisk jokes. ;) Theresa Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com Make Levees, Not War >> >>What's Lye? >> > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > >Stop doing this to me! OK, what's lutefisk? :) Ah, lutefisk. It's a Norwegian preparation, although I wonder if anyone actually eats it, or if they just make it. ;) I think it's become more of an emblemic item of Norgwegian-Americanness, and a subject of endless jokes. ;) It is basically dried, salted cod, which has been soaked in lye until it becomes gelatinous. I don't know if there is any truth to the rumor that you can use it to open drains. Theresa Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com Make Levees, Not War >>>>> What's Lye? >>>> [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > has been soaked in lye until it becomes gelatinous. I don't know if > there is any truth to the rumor that you can use it to open drains. LOL! Lye is an ingredient in drain declog stuff, not the lutefisk! >>>>>> What's Lye? >>>>> [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] >> >LOL! Lye is an ingredient in drain declog stuff, not the lutefisk! Do a google search on lutefisk, you'll find it supposedly does *everything* including get up and walk around. ;) One site translated "Lutefisk" as "Norwegian" for "Fish soaked in plutonium." Apparently it was the true secret weapon of the Vikings. ;) Theresa Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com Make Levees, Not War > Ah, lutefisk. It's a Norwegian preparation, although I wonder if > anyone actually eats it, or if they just make it. ;) Yes, people actually eat it in Scandinavia. My mother prepares it most years at Yule. Of course, the joke is that it's boiled to a pulp with no taste at all. The reason to eat it is all the trimmings - mashed potatoes, melted butter, a bechamel sauce, allspice, and tinned peas. You mash the fish into the potatoes along with the rest of it, and you don't even taste the fish. Or so I'm told. I've always hated fish, so never put any lutfisk into the mash, just the other stuff. SignatureMarina, Frank, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Nikki. marina (dot) kurten (at) iki (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki >>> What's Lye? >> [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > It's also used for making lutefisk. And it's what makes that shiny coating on the outside of pretzels. -- Britta "There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast." -- Unknown Check out pictures of Vino at: http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album >>>> What's Lye? >>> [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > And it's what makes that shiny coating on the outside of pretzels. Huh. I just use egg whites :) Jill >>>>> What's Lye? >>>> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Jill No, egg whites give the shine but not that particular pretzel flavour. The German way to do it is to dip the pretzels in a lye bath just before baking. Not many people know this. -- Britta "There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast." -- Unknown Check out pictures of Vino at: http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album >>>>>> What's Lye? >>>>> [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > before baking. Not many people know this. > -- I knew they were dipped before they were baked, but not about the lye. It was interesting doing an internet search. So by extension, pretzels should be somewhat antacid like saltines? And should help to settle your stomach. I know I like to get hold of a soft pretzel in the airport if I'm taking a flight. As good as chewing gum for the ears. Jo The last time I ate lutefisk my wife made me sleep on the couch for 2 days. Guess I should had not covered her under the covers and yelled Land Ho! :-) >>>>>>> What's Lye? >>>>>> [quoted text clipped - 39 lines] > > Jo My mom makes the best pretzels. I loooooove them right out of the oven when they're still warm with a bit of butter :-) -- Britta "There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast." -- Unknown Check out pictures of Vino at: http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album > I know I like to get hold of a soft pretzel in the airport if I'm taking a > flight. As good as chewing gum for the ears. I know what you meant, but, having had too many flights in the last couple of weeks, I cannot rid myself of a mental image of a seatmate with a soft pretzel in each ear. > What's Lye? I'll stop asking now. I counted about 50 different > types of food from different countries that are available in London, [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > that I really hated was in Ireland, it was too bland for me, if I go > again I will take my own herbs and spices with me. Hominy and grits are very much Southern USA; people from other areas of the country typically will never have eaten them, and will never have even heard of hominy (their loss). Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca Yellow is the best but you got to cook it in a skillet just after you fried up some bacon leave the grease in it with all the little tidbits from the bacon Give me some real mountain black skillet cornbread I am in heaven >>> some cultures have adopted, and he wanted me to ask you if you've >>> ever had "huitlacoche" which seems to be of Mexican origin. He [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > Jill Hopefully it's white boudin :) Grace fellow excluded >>>> some cultures have adopted, and he wanted me to ask you if you've >>>> ever had "huitlacoche" which seems to be of Mexican origin. He [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > Grace > fellow excluded Yes'm, white boudin! Give that woman a gold star! Jill I ate at this shop love the crawfish http://www.pochesmarket.com he ships boudin but I don't know if he survived the hurricanes or not >I ate at this shop love the crawfish http://www.pochesmarket.com > > he ships boudin but I don't know if he survived the hurricanes or not Place outside of Lafayette has the absolute best boudin I've ever tasted. He puts more pork than normal in it and it's slightly wetter than most boudin I've had, which has a somewhat dry cooked rice texture, very similar to dirty rice. But this one is a bit more moist than typical boudin. It's not juicy by a long shot, but the pork is softer, more grilled and shredded than diced or ground as normal before being added to the rice and casing. LOL, I really can't explain it very well unless someone has a very good idea of what boudin's texture is. (Excluding those that know obviously.) I'll find out if he ships because this one is the best I've had in the entire state of Louisiana. He has billboards proclaiming him best in the Acadiana region but I'm not sure if that's because he was graded as best or it's a self accolade. Grace who treats frozen mass packaged boudin like she does Chinese crawfish. >>>>> some cultures have adopted, and he wanted me to ask you if you've >>>>> ever had "huitlacoche" which seems to be of Mexican origin. He [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > >Jill Boudin hint: There's an English word that comes from it. Theresa Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com Make Levees, Not War >Huitlacoche is one of my favorite things to eat, definitely my favorite >fungus. :) >You can buy it here in the US canned, which is not bad at all. My mom >always freezes some for me to have when I come down for X-mas. Well, I had figured that if Victor likes it, it must be good. I'd never heard of it so it must not have reached this area yet. Chris and I decided we're going to look for the canned - I assume it would have to be in a gourmet or specialty store. Glad to hear it's not as "icky" as I'd imagined!! Thanks for the info. Jeanne > never heard of it so it must not have reached this area yet. Chris > and I decided we're going to look for the canned - I assume it would > have to be in a gourmet or specialty store. Glad to hear it's not as If you have a mexican grocery store nearby, they might stock it. My favorite way to eat it is very simple: Sautee some chopped onion and jalapenos or serranos to taste. Add huitlacoche. Let cook until all the liquid is evaporated. If you can get your hands on fresh masa (or masa harina), make fresh corn empanadas with the huitlacoche, then fried. Otherwise, just get some corn tortillas and make tacos with the huitlacoche. YUM! SignatureVictor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com >If you have a mexican grocery store nearby, they might stock it. The Hispanic community here is not very large, though growing, and I know of no Mexican grocery stores. There are a couple of Mexican restaurants, which may or may not be authentic. If I can't find it elsewhere, perhaps I can find out if they use it and have a source I can follow up with. Wish me luck!! BTW, my favorite dessert in all the world is a *good* Mexican flan. I'm a lousy cook and can't make them come out as smooth. You posted a recipe a year or so ago, with umpteen eggs and, I believe, baked. I lost the post before I could try it. Grrr!! It sounded terrific and simple enough even *I* could make it!! Jeanne > lost the post before I could try it. Grrr!! It sounded terrific and > simple enough even *I* could make it!! Yes, it's my mom's easy flan. 1 can sweetened condensed milk 5 eggs caramel Blend the eggs with the milk and pour into a 9" round pan at least 2" deep with the bottom coated with caramel. Bake in a water bath at 350F for about 1 hr, until it sets. Let cool and unmold before serving. To make the caramel Put 3/4 cup sugar in a heavy sauce pan and put on high heat on the stove. Stir every so often to make sure all the sugar melts. Once it's all melted, VERY CAREFULLY pour the caramel into the baking pan. SignatureVictor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com >> lost the post before I could try it. Grrr!! It sounded terrific and >> simple enough even *I* could make it!! [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Stir every so often to make sure all the sugar melts. Once it's all > melted, VERY CAREFULLY pour the caramel into the baking pan. To testify how easy it is to make, baked custard - the English equivalent - was just about the first thing I learned to cook. My mother would have had a heart attack if she had realized I was home alone at that age making caramel. Jo > Yes, it's my mom's easy flan. I've saved it in my recipe folder under the name "Victor's mom's easy flan." :o) SignatureMarina, Frank, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Nikki. marina (dot) kurten (at) iki (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki >Yes, it's my mom's easy flan. Thank you, Victor, I appreciate it. Got to try it ASAP. Good thing I didn't try it from memory - for some reason I recalled it had about *10* eggs. Whoops!! Recipe for disaster. Jeanne > thing I didn't try it from memory - for some reason I recalled it had > about *10* eggs. Whoops!! Recipe for disaster. I always say that the more eggs, the better. :) SignatureVictor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com |
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