In New York, I can’t find fresh huitlacoche anywhere, and the canned stuff is pretty awful: musty and mushy, and too slick and black. A friend told me about Endotzi, a small company based in Mexico that recently started exporting to the U.S.
So far you can only find it online in one place, Old Mexico Gourmet, but it’s worth ordering. The kernels — which you can actually distinguish one by one, unlike the messy black canned stuff — are plump and flavorful, and a purplish-blue color like they’re supposed to be. A few months ago I sautéed some with a little American corn and serrano chile, and spooned it into a quesadilla. The taste brought me right back to Mexico.
I’m hoping more stores in New York will stock it. In the meantime, I will definitely be ordering more, particularly as gifts for my Mexican foodie friends.