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Early American settlers encountered indigenous people who used a simple survival food known as Pinole. It was also used by Mexican cultures, as well. This simple, powdered food made for easy-to-carry survival food. Daniel Boone and Lewis and Clarke were known to have carried pinole with them for a nutritious boost.
Traditionally, they would take a small spoonful or mouthful of pinole, then wash it down with a little bit of water from a stream. The pinole is highly nutritious and swells in your stomach, making you feel full.
According to foodnetwork.com, it was initially made from blue and purple maize and roasted with cacao beans. Then it was ground in a fine powder mix. Today, it's made from cornmeal, sugar, and chia seeds. It contains generous amounts of fiber and complex carbohydrates, which give you sustained energy.
The Tarahumara Indians from northwestern Mexico made pinole to fuel their 100-mile runs. They used a combination of chia seeds and pinole. It is rich in nutrition and filling, too! It keeps well, and it is also easy to make.
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Basic Pinole Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Corn Meal
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
- 1/3 cup chia seeds
Directions:
It’s best to start with a well-seasoned cast iron pan. If you don’t have cast iron, you can use stainless steel.
1. Heat your pan over moderate heat. Don’t add oil or anything! You want your pan to be dry.
2. After the pan is heated up, put one cup of cornmeal into the pan and stir. You want the corn meal to toast evenly without sticking to the bottom or burning.
3. Toast for about ten minutes until it turns from a creamy yellow color to a soft golden brown. It will smell a little bit like popcorn!
4. After your cornmeal is nicely toasted, add the cinnamon, brown sugar, and chia seeds and mix it thoroughly while the pan is still over the heat. Keep stirring until the chia seeds and corn meal mix are nicely toasted.
5. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool.
6. Store in an airtight container, such as a Mason jar.
While it’s cooking, pinole smells a lot like popcorn being popped. Its flavor is mild and pleasant – slightly nutty and slightly sweet.
How to Use Pinole
Pinole makes a great survival/ bug-out food.
The simplest way to use it is to take a small mouthful of the mixture and then drink water to wash it down. The pinole swells in your stomach to make you feel full.
But you can also use it to make a drink.
Pinole as a Drink
Boil a cup of water, and add a tablespoon of pinole and a teaspoon of honey. Allow it to sit for about ten minutes. It will make a gritty but nutritious drink. It has about 46 calories per drink.
Pinole is light and easy to carry, so if you’re bugging out, you can easily bring it along.
Pinole Porridge
Mix pinole with enough hot water to make a consistency like grits or oatmeal. Next, add in some mixins, such as berries, nuts, yogurt, and even butter.
For a tasty, pancake-style cookie, you can mix your pinole with a few ingredients and carefully fry it in a pan. Here’s how:
Fried Pinole Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup wheat flour (if you are gluten intolerant, substitute almond flour)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup pinole made with the optional almonds and flaxseed
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 Egg
Directions:
- Mix together wheat flour, baking powder, and pinole.
- In another bowl, whip together butter, sugar, and egg.
- Add both mixtures together until you get a soft paste. You can add a little milk or water if it's too dry and crumbly. Just be careful you don’t make it too sticky.
- Put a little oil in your pan and heat it up. Carefully fry a small ‘cake’ of your mixture. Fry until it’s golden brown on both sides. Be careful when you flip your pinole cookie because it will be crumbly.
Pinole is an easy food to make and carry. But you don’t have to stick to these simple recipes. Instead, you can add it to oatmeal, mashed potatoes, soups, or any food that needs a little bit of thickening. It will give you some extra nutrition and help you to feel full for a long time!
Final Thoughts on Pinole
Pinole is an easy food to make and carry. But you don’t have to stick to these simple recipes. Instead, you can add it to oatmeal, mashed potatoes, soups, or any food that needs a little bit of thickening. It will give you some extra nutrition and help you to feel full for a long time!
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Pinole
Ingredients
- 1 cup Corn Meal
- 2 tbsps Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Cinnamon Powder
- 1/3 cup Chia Seeds
Instructions
- After the pan is heated up, put one cup of cornmeal into the pan and stir. You want the corn meal to toast evenly without sticking to the bottom or burning.
- Toast for about ten minutes until it turns from a creamy yellow color to a soft golden brown. It will smell a little bit like popcorn!
- Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool.
- Store in an airtight container, such as a Mason jar.
Fried Pinole Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup Wheat flour (if you are gluten intolerant, substitute almond flour)
- 2 tbsps baking powder
- 1 cup Pinole made with the optional almonds and flaxseed
- 1/3 cup Brown sugar
- 3 tbsps Butter
Instructions
- Mix together wheatflour, baking powder, and pinole.
- In another bowl, whip together butter, sugar, and egg.
- Add both mixtures together until you get a soft paste. You can add a little milk or water if it’s too dry and crumbly. Just be careful you don’t make it too sticky.
- Put a little oil in your pan and heat it up. Carefully fry a small ‘cake’ of your mixture. Fry until it’s golden brown on both sides. Be careful when you flip your pinole cookie because it will be crumbly.
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Do you have any ideal of the carb content..Always looking for something that would be good for a diabetic..
According to the Food Network: “Two ounces of pinole provides 7 grams of fiber, 40 grams of complex carbohydrates.”
https://www.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/2017/02/pinole-is-an-ancient-superfood-on-the-rise
I have never heard of this. Thank you for the useful info!