Title: nature-mesquite
Headings: Honey mesquite
Honey mesquite
Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa Torr. Fabaceae (Bean or Legume Family)
References

Content: Hodgson (2001) reports that mesquite mesocarps contain about 32% sugars and 7% protein. Many other assays include the seeds, which are high in plant protein (29-39%), but are not easy to process and are indigestible. Historic and ethnographic records indicate that almost every part of the mesquite tree has a use. The Pima Indians of southern Arizona referred to the mesquite as the "tree of life" (Rea 1979). Unfortunately, descriptions of mesquite use in Texas are limited to relatively brief entries by priests or explorers, and ethnographic studies are lacking. This is primarily due to the fact that most Native Americans were driven out of the state by the 1850's, and most encounters between them and the Europeans during the 19th century were unfriendly. Nonetheless, the few available historic records suggest that, throughout its distribution, mesquite was a vital resource for food, fuel, medicine, and implement-making. Cabeza de Vaca, traveling through either southern Texas or northern Mexico in the 1520's, is the first European to note details regarding the use of mesquite by Native Americans. While living among the Cuchendados, he observed the use of mesquite pods for food. A pit was filled with pods, which were pounded with a large wooden pestle the thickness of a man’s thigh.