Mesquite

She's a beauty ain't she? The mesquite tree of Southwest North America has been an intricate part of the cultures of the region since time memorial.

"So you mean it's not just a potato chip flavor?"

Well, seeing as how mesquite is quite common throughout Texas, it has been used by those folks as an ingredient in BBQ sauce for some time, though that portion of it's history comprises a mere eye blink compared to all of it's wonderfully rich service through the ages.

Our enlightened predecessors who inhabited the region where mesquite grows wild found a use for every single part of the tree, leading the Pima natives to call it their Tree of Life.

Traditionally, the most edible portion of the mesquite tree, it's pod's, were harvested and mashed into a fine powder. This tradition has carried itself on through to the present day, and it's mild to medium sweetness makes it the perfect addition to dessert recipes as well as a nice counter flavor to savory dishes. It's flavor is akin to that of molasses and graham cracker, and the properties in the pods have been noted to regulate blood sugar levels making it a wonderful sweetener of those with sugar sensitivities.

Mesquite is protein rich (11-17 percent by weight) and contains many minerals including calcium, magnesium, zinc, potassium, and iron.

The Superfood classification has been debated when it comes to mesquite, but the majority here at Superfood City would indeed place it amongst some of the greatest foods around. The level ground that can be attained amongst all debaters is that it makes a great sidekick to the more powerful Superfoods, and combining it with Cacao & Maca (both upcoming features) makes it a force to be reckoned with.

Yum.