Mole
The world's most complex sauce. More than 30 ingredients, chocolate, chiles, and centuries of history in a bowl.
The world's most complex sauce. More than 30 ingredients, chocolate, chiles, and centuries of history in a bowl.
Origin
The word 'mole' comes from the Nahuatl 'molli', which simply means sauce. Oaxaca and Puebla dispute its birthplace—both traditions are ancestral. Moles combine pre-Hispanic ingredients (chiles, cacao, achiote, seeds) with spices brought by the Spanish (cinnamon, clove, pepper).
History
According to the most widespread legend, mole poblano was born in the Convent of Santa Catalina de Siena in Puebla in the 17th century, when nuns—nervous about a visit from Archbishop Palafox y Mendoza—combined everything they had in the pantry: more than 30 ingredients, including mulato, ancho, and pasilla chiles, along with chocolate from Oaxaca. In Oaxaca, the 7 moles (negro, rojo, coloradito, chichilo, amarillo, verde, and manchamanteles) represent one of the most complex culinary systems in the world. Oaxacan mole negro requires between two and three days of preparation.
Key Ingredients
Where to Eat
Oaxaca de Juárez
Chef Alejandro Ruiz prepares Oaxaca's most award-winning mole negro—featuring over 30 ingredients and three days of meticulous work—in a colonial dining room in the historic center.
Oaxaca de Juárez
Luis Arellano, a disciple of Enrique Olvera, fuses all seven varieties of Oaxacan mole with contemporary technique while honoring every grain of tradition.
Ciudad de México
The restaurant of researcher Ricardo Muñoz Zurita offers the most comprehensive guide to Mexican moles: rojo, verde, negro, amarillo and pipián presented in an academic-style menu.
Masters of the Dish
Guelaguetza
Los Ángeles, EE.UU.
The ambassador of Oaxacan mole in the United States. Her book 'Oaxaca' is the modern bible of mole negro and was named best cookbook of the year by the NYT.
Tlamanalli
Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca
The grandmother of modern mole. Her twentieth-century Zapotec recipes preserve preparation techniques dating back to pre-Hispanic Mexico. She cooked for President Obama.