Discovered by the Aztecs, the bulbous fungus has been consumed in Mexico ... money to keeping its cornfields free of what it calls "corn smut" and "the devil's corn." Huitlacoche forms naturally ...

but some dining and agricultural experts say Iowa should embrace the earthy fungus and even capitalize on it. What it is: ...

Called the Mexican truffle and known as corn smut in the United States, this fungus infects corn during periods of heavy rainfall, turning it dark and ballooning the kernels into bulbous bites.