Walker's Pinolli (Toasted Corn, Chia, and Amaranth Flour)
Corn toasted then ground, mixed with chia and amaranth, sometimes sweetened with honey: a nutritious powder that keeps well and is eaten on the road, stirred into a little water. Toasted, mild, and filling. The marching ration of the Mexica and messengers.
Corn toasted then ground, mixed with chia and amaranth, sometimes sweetened with honey: a nutritious powder that keeps well and is eaten on the road, stirred into a little water. Toasted, mild, and filling. The marching ration of the Mexica and messengers.
You cross my shores, walker? Then take pinolli. Corn toasted on the comal, chia, huauhtli, ground together into a fine golden flour. A handful stirred into water and you last until dusk — but draw your water elsewhere than the lake's edge, where my tail waits.
- •Dried nixtamalized corn — several handfuls (toasted and ground base)
- •Chia seeds — a handful (energy and prolonged hydration)
- •Huauhtli (amaranth) — a handful (nutritious addition)
- •Maguey honey — a drizzle (optional) (sweetness)
Walker's Pinolli (Toasted Corn, Chia, and Amaranth Flour)
Corn toasted then ground, mixed with chia and amaranth, sometimes sweetened with honey: a nutritious powder that keeps well and is eaten on the road, stirred into a little water. Toasted, mild, and filling. The marching ration of the Mexica and messengers.
Why this dish? To walk the lake shores without lingering near the dangerous waters of the Ahuizotl, the traveler carried pinolli: a flour that weighs nothing, does not spoil, and is drunk by the handful. It is the food of movement, opposite to the still water where the monster lurks.
You cross my shores, walker? Then take pinolli. Corn toasted on the comal, chia, huauhtli, ground together into a fine golden flour. A handful stirred into water and you last until dusk — but draw your water elsewhere than the lake's edge, where my tail waits.
Ingredients (period version)
- Dried nixtamalized corn — several handfuls (toasted and ground base)
- Chia seeds — a handful (energy and prolonged hydration)
- Huauhtli (amaranth) — a handful (nutritious addition)
- Maguey honey — a drizzle (optional) (sweetness)
Ingredients
- Corn (dry kernels or toasted masa harina) — 150 g (flour base)
- Chia seeds — 2 tbsp (energy and binding)
- Puffed amaranth — 2 tbsp (nutritious volume)
- Agave syrup or honey — 1 tsp (optional) (light sweetness)
- Water — as desired (to dilute when drinking)
Method
- Toast the corn dry on a comal (or skillet) until golden and fragrant, stirring.
- Add the chia and amaranth for a few seconds to lightly toast.
- Let cool, then grind finely (molcajete, mill, or blender) into a flour.
- Store in a cloth or airtight container: pinolli keeps for weeks.
- When eating, stir a heaping spoonful into a little water (cold or warm), sweeten with a drizzle of honey if desired.
How it was made : Pinolli accompanied warriors, merchants (pochteca), and messengers: light, dry, it defied spoilage where fresh dishes went bad in a day under the plateau climate. It was carried in a gourd or bundle and mixed at the spring. Chia, in particular, was reputed to sustain long marches.
The contemporary twist : A 'Mexica energy drink' version: pinolli whisked into very cold water with a splash of modern citrus juice — a hiking iskiate that fits in a canteen.
Sources : Bernardino de Sahagún, Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España (Codex de Florence), Books VIII and X
Ahuizotl · Charactorium
