Pinolli — messenger's road flour
Toasted and ground corn, mixed with chia and a little maguey syrup, to be diluted in water or eaten by the spoonful. The sweet, filling travel provision.
Toasted and ground corn, mixed with chia and a little maguey syrup, to be diluted in water or eaten by the spoonful. The sweet, filling travel provision.
When you take the long road, mortal, do not burden your back with pots: carry this golden powder. The corn is toasted on the comalli until fragrant, ground fine, and mixed with the small chian seed that swells in water and keeps hunger at bay. A pinch of maguey honey, and you have enough to walk from sunrise to sunset. By the spring, dilute it in a little water: it is drunk, it is eaten, and it does not spoil — as faithful to the traveler as I am to the night.
- •Toasted corn — several measures (nourishing base)
- •Chia seeds (chian) — one measure (satiety, preservation)
- •Maguey syrup — a drizzle (optional) (sweetness, energy)
- •Lake salt — a pinch (optional) (seasoning)
Pinolli — messenger's road flour
Toasted and ground corn, mixed with chia and a little maguey syrup, to be diluted in water or eaten by the spoonful. The sweet, filling travel provision.
Why this dish? Messengers and warriors who traveled the empire's roads carried this toasted corn flour. Light and durable, it nourished those who traveled under the Moon, guardian of night walkers.
When you take the long road, mortal, do not burden your back with pots: carry this golden powder. The corn is toasted on the comalli until fragrant, ground fine, and mixed with the small chian seed that swells in water and keeps hunger at bay. A pinch of maguey honey, and you have enough to walk from sunrise to sunset. By the spring, dilute it in a little water: it is drunk, it is eaten, and it does not spoil — as faithful to the traveler as I am to the night.
Ingredients (period version)
- Toasted corn — several measures (nourishing base)
- Chia seeds (chian) — one measure (satiety, preservation)
- Maguey syrup — a drizzle (optional) (sweetness, energy)
- Lake salt — a pinch (optional) (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Toasted corn flour (pinole) or toasted cornmeal — 200 g (base)
- Chia seeds — 50 g (thickening, satiety)
- Agave syrup — 2 tbsp (sweetness)
- Water — to dilute (drink or porridge)
- Pinch of salt — 1 (seasoning)
Method
- If starting from cornmeal, toast it dry in a pan, stirring, until golden and nutty; let cool.
- Finely grind the toasted corn (blender) with some of the chia.
- Mix with remaining chia, salt, and agave syrup if desired.
- Store the powder in an airtight container; it keeps for weeks.
- To serve, dilute 3-4 tbsp in a large glass of water (drink) or less water (thick porridge); let the chia swell for 5 min.
How it was made : Pinolli — toasted ground corn, often with chia — was the quintessential travel and war ration of Mesoamerican peoples, mentioned by chroniclers. Light, long-lasting, energy-rich: it was simply diluted in water. Chia, with exceptional nutritional endurance, accompanied runners and warriors.
The contemporary twist : Present it as an "overnight pinole": diluted the night before with chia, it swells into a creamy breakfast porridge.
Sources : Bernardino de Sahagún, Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España (Codex de Florence) · Sophie D. Coe, America's First Cuisines, University of Texas Press, 1994
Coyolxauhqui · Charactorium