Pinole

{{short description|Roasted ground maize mixed with other powdered foodstuffs}}

{{Infobox food

| name = Pinole

| image = Milk,_machica_(in_bag)_and_pinol_mix_(in_tin).jpg

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| caption = Pinole

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| type = Ingredient

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| region = Latin America

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| main_ingredient = Maize and cacao

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| serving_size = 100 g

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| similar_dish = Gofio

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Pinole, also called pinol, is roasted ground maize. The resulting powder is then used as a nutrient-dense ingredient to make different foods, such as cereals, baked goods, tortillas, and beverages.{{cite web|title = The No Meat Athlete|url = http://www.nomeatathlete.com/tarahumara-pinole-chia-recipes/|website=Nomeatathlete.com| date=2 December 2009 }} For example, it can be mixed with a combination of cocoa, agave, cinnamon, chia seeds, vanilla, or other spices, to make a beverage called pinolillo.

The name comes from the Nahuatl word pinolli, meaning cornmeal. Today, pinole is generally made by hand using wood-burning adobe ovens and a stone and pestle, and is still consumed in certain, often rural, parts of Latin America. Pinole is considered the national beverage of Nicaragua.

Nutritional content

File:MGSA2018_-_Pinole.jpg

Depending on the type of pinole and the quality of its ingredients, pinole can be high in key vitamins and nutrients, including protein, amino acids, fiber, and antioxidants.{{Cite web|url = http://www.livestrong.com/article/549590-what-are-health-benefits-of-pinole/|title = Benefits of Pinole|date = 2015|access-date =1 June 2015|website = Livestrong Foundation}} Due to the large amount of fiber and the slow digestion of the maize, pinole also has a very high satiety effect, leaving those who consume it feeling full for a longer period of time.{{cn|date=April 2025}} For many indigenous peoples of Mexico and Central America, it is relied upon as a key source of nutrition and sustenance.{{Cite web|url = http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-pinole.htm|title = What is Pinole|date = 2015|access-date =1 June 2015|website =Wisegeek.com }}

Uses

= Tarahumara people =

Along with chia, pinole is a staple food of Rarámuri (Tarahumara) people,{{cite book|author=John G. Kennedy|title=The Tarahumara|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3u4nAQAAMAAJ&q=%22essential%20part%22|year=1990|publisher=Chelsea House|isbn=978-1-55546-730-2|page=106}}{{cite book|author=Bernard L. Fontana|title=Tarahumara: Where Night is the Day of the Moon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8ANsDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA60|date=15 December 2016|publisher=University of Arizona Press|isbn=978-0-8165-3661-0|page=60}} an indigenous people of the Copper Canyon of Mexico. The name Rarámuri means "footrunners".{{cite book|title=Américas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gYo6AQAAIAAJ&q=%22foot-runners%22|year=1990|publisher=Organization of American States|page=12}} Noted for physical stamina and their ability to run extraordinarily long distances{{cite book|author1=Fructuoso Irigoyen-Rascón|author2=Alfonso Paredes|title=Tarahumara Medicine: Ethnobotany and Healing Among the Rarámuri of Mexico|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=upezCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA89|date=13 October 2015|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|isbn=978-0-8061-5271-4|page=89}} wearing only huarache sandals with soles made of recycled tire treads and their traditional garb of a white cotton loincloth with a woven belt,{{cite book|author1=Manuela Fischer|author2=Michael Kraus|title=Exploring the Archive: Historical Photography from Latin America. The Collection of the Ethnologisches Museum Berlin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lu5rDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA340|date=15 July 2015|publisher=Böhlau Verlag Köln Weimar|isbn=978-3-412-22415-8|page=340}} the Rarámuri consume bajíachi (corn beer) and pinole before races.{{cite news |author1=Esther Schader |title=Making Strides for Survival: Family Aids Poor Mexican Tribe Famed for Running |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-03-29-me-43332-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=29 March 1997 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704214342/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-03-29-me-43332-story.html|archive-date=July 4, 2019}}{{cite book|author1=Fructuoso Irigoyen-Rascón|author2=Alfonso Paredes|title=Tarahumara Medicine: Ethnobotany and Healing Among the Rarámuri of Mexico|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=upezCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA88|date=13 October 2015|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|isbn=978-0-8061-5271-4|page=88}}

= In other folklore =

The recorded history of Pinole, California, dates back to the early 1700s, when a Spanish commandant, Don Pedro Fages, led an exploration through the Contra Costa shoreline of California.{{Cite web |date=3 August 2024 |title=History of Pinole |url=https://www.pinole.gov/our-community/pinole-history/history-overview/ |access-date=3 August 2024 |website=City of Pinole}} With a small band of soldiers and an Indian guide, Don Pedro Fages left Monterey and traveled northward until he reached the area known today as Pinole. According to legend, the soldiers ran out of provisions on their march and found a village of Indians who gave them food. This food consisted of a form of meal, made from acorns, seeds, and wild grain, which they called “pinole” (derived from the Aztec word pinolli, meaning ground and toasted grain or seeds.) Thus, the soldiers named their camp “El Pinole,” and Pinole received its name.

In parts of central Mexico, groups of rowdy youths traditionally went from house to house during Carnival to demand pinole, which they were served without water (and frequently mixed with chili pepper to make it even more difficult to swallow). This custom may have given rise to the popular saying, El que tiene más saliva, traga más pinole ("Whoever has the most saliva, swallows the most pinole"; in other words, whoever has the most skill for a particular job will accomplish the most).{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}

= Commercial products =

Authentic pinole can occasionally be found in rural markets throughout Mexico and Central America. It is generally made by hand and sold as a powder in burlap pouches. A sugar-heavy, mass-market version can also sometimes be found in Latin American supermarkets under brands such as Don Julio.