Mole Poblano- Cristel Villanueva

The Mole Poblano is one of the plates that represent Mexico the most. Especially in big celebrations. The word mole come from the Nahualt language, Mexican ancestors and it originally means another term for salsa. The story of Mole has many versions. One of the most known comes from a legend that took place in a church located in Puebla Mexico. In this church Mexican cuisine was fortified and was done perfect. This is because frequently they would serve civil and religious personalities. Many of the plate’s Mexican cuisine that is now famously known where created in this church.

The legend says that there was an occasion where Juan Palafox, King of Spain and the Bishop from Puebla visited this church and this church and its nuns offered a banquet where the cooks where especially inspired. The cook Fray Pascual was running everywhere through the kitchen giving orders because of the special visit. They say Fray Pascual was particurlarly nervous and started to get more anxious for all the mess done by the other cooks. He desperately started to collect all the ingredients to store them and apparently he tripped and these ingredients fell into a pot where chickens were almost done. In that pot chili, chocolate and other ingredients started to incorporate and he panicked for the food of the king was ruined. He was so nervous he had no other option than to pray with his whole faith especially when he was told everyone was seating at the table. Later after it was served he couldn’t believe that everyone was amazed by the taste of this dish. This legend was so popular that till now women in their homes pray to Fray Pascual. The mole is not really an accident dish but a result of a slow culinary process that started in the prehispanic time and made perfect during the colony time when the Mexican cuisine grew rich with Asian and European spices.

The mole is the specialty of the Culinary Arts of Puebla. Also just as the Mexican cuisine the mole was done as a matter of collective creation. The creation of mole is surrounded of somehow of mystery and its dynamic for the amount of people that contributed ideas for its creation also because as well this dish has other regions ingredients like the cinnamon from Sri Lanka, cloves from the McLucas Islands from Indonesia, cilantro from Babylonia, and sesame seeds that’s from the Arabs that came through the Spanish to the Mexican region. Plus other ingredients that Spain brought such as chili, peanuts, chocolates, tortillas etc. Mole as well is refined because for it to be created is ingredients need a transformation from roasting, toast, and blending, rinsing, cutting, frying and other methods.