Mesquite flour

Mesquite flour is made from the dried and ground pods of the Mesquite. The tree grows throughout North America in arid climates. The flour made from the long, beige-colored seed pods has a sweet, slightly nutty flavor and can be used in a wide variety of applications. It has a high-protein, low-glycemic content and could serve as a more healthy gluten-free replacement for flours. In the past Indigenous American Indians used to rely on these mesquite pods as an important food source. The bean pods of the mesquite tree are dried and ground into a flour (pinole). This flour is rich in dietary fiber (25%) and protein (13%). It also contains significant quantities of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc and the amino acid lysine, and it's low-fat (only 3%).

Sources

• http://medplant.nmsu.edu/mesquite4.shtm
• http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/st-plains/nature/images/mesquite.html