My blogger chum Chad asked me recently to write something on Mole. At the time I was a bit busy and I think this was also a subconscious excuse not to write on the subject… The reason is that for a Mexican to write on Mole is getting into sticky ground; every Mexican has his/her views on the matter and they are the best, full stop!
In the UK people relate the word to little creatures that live underground, to The Wind in the Willows, to that ‘Mexican chocolate sauce’, or worse still to eating little animals that live underground covered with a chocolate sauce! Nothing could be further from the truth; to write about Mole is to write about our identity as Mexicans, to write about our history, to touch on many aspects of our folcklore, it is to write about flavour combinations and even to write about food science, it is to challenge families and to create rivalries through recipes…. it can become a telenovela… yes we Mexicans are a complicated lot.
In fact I did think to write my dissertation on Mole… but since this is just a blog, I am going to say just a few simple things. For instance, did you know that it is believed the word ‘mole’ is derived from an indigenous word, possibly nahuatl: ‘molli’ or ‘mulli’ which means sauce? I have also heard it is derived from the Spanish verb ‘moler’ which is to grind… see? it is not that easy with this sauce.
The origins of mole are also unclear, some say that it existed well before the arrival of the Spaniards and yes many of the ingredients are original to Mexico and the american continent. There are tales of Spanish and creole nuns, like Sor Andrea de la Asuncion, who was famed for her ability to create perfect food -a kind of 17th century Heston Blumenthal, who concocted this divine dish for the viceroy in turn and other celebrities of the time. This story might well be true; it could also be related to an appropriation of the indigenous by the colonials… The story that I like best, because is full of folklore, it touches on the kitsch and again it is similar to a telenovela (soap opera) involves a nun, a saint, a draw full of spices and a bit of magic of course… The nun might well have been Sor Andrea de la Asuncion, and how she was completely burnt out from so much cooking and therefore felt uninspired; the guests were coming to eat her latest delicacy and she just did not know what to cook that day. As it was the norm, she asked San Pascualito-the patron saint of cooks and of the kitchen to help her. Then she turned, stumbled against a draw that was full of spices that went on the pot and hey presto: Mole anyone? I wonder what do they do on a stressful day at The Fat Duck? maybe we should tell them about San Pascualito.
Whatever story you go for, the truth is that Mole is a kind of national dish to Mexico, the state of Puebla is famed for its Mole and the state of Oaxaca is called the land of 7 moles. If you go to any Mexican market you will find mole sold by the kilo and of course families pride themselves in making their own family recipe which is usually a secret.
A good Mole can have up to 40 different ingredients, but the basic ones are: chillies, usually ancho, pasilla and mulato, garlic, onion, sesame oil, sesame seeds, oregano, marjoram, some day old tortillas, bananas, raisins, almonds, possibly a little stale bread and many more. Traditionally all these ingredients are ground on a metate, by hand and then fried with lard. The final ingredient is a little bit of bitter chocolate, which is essential to add flavour and a velvety texture. This will resemble a heavy paste and to make the sauce, we add stock from a poached bird; turkey being the traditonal one to use -although these days more eclectic birds like duck and even other kinds of game are used. The poached bird is covered with this sauce and served decorated with sesame seeds; this is a far cry to some people’s ideas of eating a chicken mixed with hot fudge sauce!
Being someone that really goes more for the sensation that food has on my tastebuds rather than for the looks of the restaurant or who is sitting at the next table; I’ll have to say that poached turkey topped with a heavy Mole sauce scattered with some sesame seeds in some busy convent like restaurant is not my favourite way of eating this… to me Mole can be one of those memorable food moments that I would take to a desert island…in fact Mole is included in my funeral! At least to me the best way is to eat it is in the shape of Enchiladas de Mole.
In my next post I will write on Enchiladas de Mole and why I like them. This might not be the aristocratic or trendy way of eating mole… but it is so very good!
