flipPinolli, Traveler's Flour
Pinolli, Traveler's Flour
Why this dish? Pilgrims journeying to the sanctuaries and the pochteca (merchants) traversing the empire carried pinolli, a toasted maize flour that keeps well and is mixed with a little water. Food of the paths leading to the temples of the Mother Goddess, it sustained the body on long Mesoamerican roads.
A flour of ground toasted maize, perfumed with chia seed and sweetened with agave. It is carried dry in a cloth; at camp, it is mixed with water for a nourishing drink, or eaten by the spoonful. Toasted, sweet, comforting taste.
When you take the road to my high places, carry no fragile food: take pinolli. The maize is toasted until fragrant, ground into fine flour, mixed with the tiny chia seed that swells and quenches thirst. Tie it in a cloth at your belt, and in the evening, mix a handful in spring water. It has sustained my walkers for whole days — may it carry you as far as your legs will go.
- •Ground toasted maize — a satchel (nourishing base)
- •Chia seeds — a handful (thirst-quenching, swells in water)
- •Agave syrup / honey — to taste (sweetness and energy)
Pinolli, Traveler's Flour
A flour of ground toasted maize, perfumed with chia seed and sweetened with agave. It is carried dry in a cloth; at camp, it is mixed with water for a nourishing drink, or eaten by the spoonful. Toasted, sweet, comforting taste.
Why this dish? Pilgrims journeying to the sanctuaries and the pochteca (merchants) traversing the empire carried pinolli, a toasted maize flour that keeps well and is mixed with a little water. Food of the paths leading to the temples of the Mother Goddess, it sustained the body on long Mesoamerican roads.
When you take the road to my high places, carry no fragile food: take pinolli. The maize is toasted until fragrant, ground into fine flour, mixed with the tiny chia seed that swells and quenches thirst. Tie it in a cloth at your belt, and in the evening, mix a handful in spring water. It has sustained my walkers for whole days — may it carry you as far as your legs will go.
Ingredients (period version)
- Ground toasted maize — a satchel (nourishing base)
- Chia seeds — a handful (thirst-quenching, swells in water)
- Agave syrup / honey — to taste (sweetness and energy)
Ingredients
- Toasted maize flour (or toasted cornmeal) — 200 g (base)
- Chia seeds — 2 tbsp (texture and hydration)
- Agave syrup — 2 tbsp (sweetness)
- Cinnamon (optional) — 1 pinch (fragrance)
- Water or cold water for serving — as needed (drink)
Method
- If starting from raw corn flour, dry-toast it in a pan, stirring until golden and fragrant, then let cool.
- Mix the toasted flour, chia seeds, and cinnamon; store this dry mix in an airtight container (keeps for several weeks).
- When serving, stir 3 to 4 tablespoons into a large glass of cold water, sweeten with agave, and let rest 5 minutes for the chia to swell.
- Stir and drink; or reduce water for a thick porridge to eat by the spoonful on the go.
How it was made : Pinolli (pinole) is the archetype of Mesoamerican travel food: dry, light, long-lasting, and instantly reconstitutable. Paired with chia — an oily seed that forms a hydrating gel — it provided energy and hydration to walkers and warriors. It is still consumed throughout Mexico today.
The contemporary twist : Sprinkle pinolli over frozen yogurt with a drizzle of agave: a pre-Columbian granola with a toasted maize nuttiness.
Sources : Sophie D. Coe, America's First Cuisines, University of Texas Press, 1994
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