Summer Flour & Bean Pods

Conchos! Has anyone noticed the similarity between a blue agave piña and conchos?

It’s been hot. When it gets real hot in the summer there is a tendency for more kiawe bean pods to fall. Same with mesquite pods - a sister-type variety of kiawe.

Summer in Mexico and in the southwest of the US causes mesquite trees to shed their pods, dry up and fall to the ground. Inside those pods are beans... and those beans can make flour once they are dried, cleaned and ground. A low carb, high protein and sweet flour sometimes referred to as pinole de mezquite. Mesquite flour is ancestral food, protein rich, (13% to 19% protein) and has a variety of minerals including magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron and zinc as well as a source of lysine. Oh, gluten-free with a low-glycemic index, too! Which brings us to a place to talk about Mexican dishes that can use a bit of mesquite flour.

Concha means “shell” in Spanish. Conchas are also a soft and sweet Mexican bread with a surface that resembles a seashell. There is a photo above.

If you’ve ever entered a panaderia (Mexican pastry shop), you’ll find conchas. This tasty sweet bread is a very common item in Mexico. They are made in multiple steps and can take some time to prepare. First, the basic dough is made . . . which typically contains flour, yeast, salt, butter, sugar, eggs, a bit of vanilla and some milk. The topping can then vary to include different types of shortening and flavor adjustments such as chocolate or cinnamon, etc. Look for a host of recipe options and instructions online. You’ll find many and the design options are limited by your creativity. Beyond the various toppings such as chocolate or cinnamon, by varying the flour, the flavors can change. So let’s talk more on the flour

While there is not a lot of research and available experience on kiawe flour, there is much more research and hands-on experience using mesquite flour. It’s also more available. By mixing traditional white baking flour with a small portion of mesquite flour, a sweeter - more intense outcome can be obtained. If you stumble across some mesquite flour, give it a try. While mesquite flour is an ancestral food in Mexico, home-made pancakes or tortillas are a good first effort if you have never given it a go..

Just a thought.