Enjoy the mole of Oaxaca and savor its history

Mole is a traditional dish from Oaxaca, accompanied by typical sauces prepared with chili and spices as indispensable elements. The most popular ones are mostly red and green mole, however, the one that stands out by far is the black mole, one of the seven moles that are made in the State of Oaxaca.

The preparation of the mole negro is done mainly in the region of the Central Valleys, in the other states of the republic this dish is better known as mole oaxaqueño. It has a slightly spicy flavor, with a few sweet touches that make the palate experience even more enjoyable. It is a very besieged dish in different celebrations, for example on the Day of the Dead.

It is usually served with turkey or chicken meat, with tortillas or tlayudas typical of Oaxaca.

Do you know the story of this magnificent dish?

The story of the mole has been created thanks to the narrative of several legends, therefore, there are different versions regarding its origin.

Of all the legends, there is one that has enough historical data to be considered true and credible, this legend tells that the Aztecs prepared various mixtures with chilies, tomato, cocoa, and spices of different origins, which resulted in sauces they called “mulli”, from which, sometime later, the word “mole” would be born. They say that these mullis served as an offering to the gods.

Over time, the preparation of these mixtures evolved and crossed with the contributions in ingredients and spices from other origins thanks to the Spanish conquest. The truth is that the evolution of the mole, as we know it today, is related to that of the convents that were built in Mexico, after the conquest of the so-called new world.

There is another legend that tells that a nun of the Convent of Santa Rosa, in Puebla, gave with the flavor of the mole poblano after grinding in a metate different chilies and other spices. This story has a version that provides name and surname: Andrea de la Asunción would have been the Dominican nun who, inspired by the gods, created the mole to conquer the viceroy Tomás Antonio de Serna, who was very pleased with this delicious preparation.

Finally, there is another version that says that the origin of the mole was the product of an accident.

Fray Pascual Bailón, the cook of a Puebla convent, full of nerves from the visit of Juan Palafox y Mendoza, viceroy of New Spain and archbishop of Puebla, stumbled beside the casserole where some guajalotes were cooked.

In this rugged way chilies, chocolate, almonds, and other spices fell to the stew that made the viceroy be surprised by the flavor of the new dish.

Over time, each region of Mexico gave the mole its own character. In this way, the black mole emerged in Oaxaca as a result of an inexhaustible process of miscegenation.

The magic of the black mole is reflected in each of its ingredients.

The black mole is prepared with ingredients of different origins, approximatively are about 40, a combination of sweet, salty, crispy, acidic flavors, among which can be highlighted the following:

• Black chilhuacle, red chilhuacle, mulato and pasilla peppers.
• Burnt tortilla
• Onion
• Garlic
• Yolk bread
• Plantain
• Sesame
• Peanuts
• Walnuts
• Nutmeg
• Almonds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Pasitas
• Tomato
• Miltomate
• Cinnamon
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Marjoram
• Anise
• Cumin
• Nail
• Fat pepper
• Sugar
• Avocado leaf
• Metate chocolate
• Lard

How can we prepare it?

Of all the moles this is one of which the elaboration is more complex and laborious. The most characteristic of the black mole is its color, which is achieved thanks to an indisputable burning technique.

The seeds of the chilhuacle pepper are burned on top of the tortilla until it catches fire and both turn black. You have to be careful not to let them char.

Then, they go through a careful drying and soaking process to remove the bitter taste. All this, ground, will be used as black ink in the sauce, which will bring both the color and a very peculiar ash flavor.

On the other hand, the chilies are cleaned, the veins are removed so that they sting less, they are soaked in water and salt and fried in the butter.

Then, when the fat they contain is removed, add the almonds, nuts, peanuts, tortillas, bread and spices, which will have been fried in the butter and ground together with the raisins, roasted sesame and avocado leaf.
All this is ground to form a paste.

Add the roasted tomato, ground and strained, the chocolate, the portions of guajalote or cooked chicken, the oregano, and the broth in which the meat has been prepared. Boil until sauce is thick.
This dish can be accompanied with a side of red rice and sprinkled with toasted sesame.

The black or Oaxacan mole has given and continues to give much of itself, and as a fundamental element of Mexican gastronomy has also been expressed through the popular culture of many states of the Mexican Republic.

Don’t stop tasting that delicacy.

Be sure to read this to know more about the food in Oaxaca:

• Oaxaca cheese: from error to gastronomic tradition
• Chapulines: Exotic food of ancestral origin