Corn smut. Sounds awful, but sheeeoot… It is delicious. It is known in Mexico as “huitlacoche”, and it has been a prized ingredient there for a long, long time. In some circles it is known as the Mexican Truffle.
Alejandra’s quesadilla cart (usually at Echo Park Ave. on weekends, just south of Sunset, a few blocks from Echo Park Lake) serves huitlacoche quesdillas, made with blue corn tortillas. I like mine with chicken.
To the skeptics out there who may be reluctant to eat a bluish-gray tortilla with corn fungus inside, I will simply quote the ineffable Sam I Am: “You do not like them. So you say. Try them! Try them! And you may. Try them and you may I say.”
I love huitlacoche! My favorite huitlacoche quesadilla is at Aqui es Texcoco in Chula Vista. I need to try this cart already. Heard so many great things about it.
I enjoyed the huitlacoche empanadas at Rocio’s Mole de los Dioses in Sunland. Sadly, because of a fire, that restaurant is closed, though they are talking of rebuilding.
El Huarache Azteca on York offers huitlacoche on a huaracha which may be my favorite way to eat it.
Went back again this past weekend. Flor de calabaza with chicharron. I think the crunchiness of the pork does just fine on its own. Another delish quesadilla.
If the OC crowd is chowing down on huitlacoche quesadillas at Taco Maria every Tuesday, I think it’s safe to say that pretty much no one is afraid of it anymore lol
What are this womans hours though? Also, how much are the quesadillas?
This question haunts me… I keep trying to figure it out. Doesn’t it seem like Friday nights would be livelier than Sunday nights for such food? But technically “weekend” refers to Saturday + Sunday… so who knows? Colloquially I feel “weekend” includes Friday nights… but I have a feeling restaurants/awesome quesadilla carts probably don’t go by such definitions… so it would be nice to know =(
