Pinole (staple)

Pinole is a Mexican Spanish word for a coarse flour made from ground toasted maize kernels, often in a mixture with a variety of herbs and ground seeds, which can be eaten by itself or be used as the base for a beverage. The word derives from the Nahuatl word "pinolli", which has the same meaning. In southeastern Mexico and in Central America this food and beverage is known as pinol or pinolillo, considered the national beverage of Nicaragua.

Herbs and flavorings added to pinole include ground mustard seeds, ground chia seeds, ground cacao, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, achiote, and other grasses and annual herbs. The mixture is sometimes beaten with water to make a hot or cold beverage (also called "pinole"), or sometimes cooked with water to make an edible mush.

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 chile, 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).

References

Francisco J. Santamaría, "Diccionario de mejicanismos", Mexico City: Editorial Porrúa, 1959, 1978.