Pinolillo is a sweet

cornmeal Maize meal is a meal (coarse flour) ground from dried maize. It is a common staple food and is ground to coarse, medium, and fine consistencies, but it is not as fine as wheat flour can be.Herbst, Sharon, ''Food Lover's Companion'', Third Editi ...

and cacao-based traditional drink in

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

. It is made of ground toasted corn and a small amount of cacao. It can be mixed with water or soy milk, and served sweetened or unsweetened. If unsweetened, it is rather bitter. The drink usually has a rough, gritty texture. The name comes from pinole, a toasted and ground form of

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

that is its main ingredient. It is traditionally served out of a gourd made of the shell of the jicaro fruit. Decorative gourds are also made for purchase by tourists as souvenirs; such decorations are rarely found in the homes of native Nicaraguans.

Pinolillo and Nicaraguan culture

Consumption of pinolillo is so widespread and traditional that the substance has become one of many symbols of Nicaraguan culture. Nicaraguans often refer to themselves as " Pinoleros", either jokingly or with pride. The patriotic phrase ''"'"'' (''I'm a pure Pinolero, Nicaraguan by the grace of God!'') has been frequently used by Nicaraguans. The phrase comes from the patriotic song ''Nicaragua Mía'' by Tino López Guerra, which has been covered several times. The popular saying is often used by the Nicaraguan president, in his speeches.Bolpress:: "Queremos trabajo, queremos paz, queremos reconciliación"
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References

Chocolate drinks Nicaraguan cuisine Costa Rican cuisine Mesoamerican cuisine Maize-based drinks {{nonalcoholic-drink-stub

Pinolillo and Nicaraguan culture

See also

References