, also known as soybean

Soybean

The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...

 flour, is a product commonly used in Japanese cuisine

Japanese cuisine

Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes throughout Japan. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of shogun rule...

. Kinako is produced by finely grinding roasted soybeans into powder.

Kinako, being composed of soybeans, is a healthy topping and flavoring which contains B vitamins

B vitamins

B vitamins are a group of water-soluble vitamins that play important roles in cell metabolism. The B vitamins were once thought to be a single vitamin, referred to as vitamin B . Later research showed that they are chemically distinct vitamins that often coexist in the same foods...

 and protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

.
It can also be used as a drink. One example of its use in popular foods is warabimochi

Warabimochi

Warabimochi is not true mochi but a jelly-like confection made from bracken starch and covered or dipped in kinako . It is popular in the summertime, especially in the Kansai region and Okinawa and often sold from trucks, similar to an ice cream truck in Western countries.- External links :* *...

, which is a famous kinako-covered sweet.