What to Eat in Mexico – Chiles en Nogada, a Dish of National Pride

It’s the season once again, everywhere you look, from the ritziest restaurants to the the crumbiest little hole-in-the-wall eateries, they all have Chiles en Nogada.

No kidding, its September, and everyone is getting ready to celebrate Independence Day (on the 15th). Is this the reason for the seasonality of this dish? – By no means! It’s simply that this is the time the pomegranates are ripening, at least in central highlands of Mexico, where Puebla is also located.

Does this historically significant dish have anything to do with the famous Battle of Puebla (the only one the Mexican’s have won)? – Not at all, though Puebla prides itself as the origin of Chiles en Nogada. Sorry for the confusion! Let’s take things step-by-step.

Iturbide and the Treaty of Córdoba

On August 24, 1821 Augustín de Iturbide, the man who later went on to become the emperor of the first Mexican empire, was returning from the small town of Veracruz, where he signed a document supposedly ending Mexico’s struggle for independence. It was high time, as the war had been raging for almost eleven years. The moment and the document didn’t have the historical significance he had hoped for. The Spanish officials who presented it were actually not properly authorized by the Spanish crown, and it would take another fifteen years until Spain recognized Mexico’s independence. However, the Treaty of Córdoba led the Mexicans to start working on the official Declaration of Independence immediately.

Though before returning to state affairs in the capital, Iturbide made a rest stop in the town of Puebla, more than a quarter century before its famous battle took place. There, the sisters of a local convent presented the statesman with a peculiar dish. It was a large chile poblano (the Pueblan kind of chili), covered in a white sauce with red pomegranate seeds all over it. The three colors represented the Mexican flag so well, that since then Chiles en Nogada became the dish to symbolize Mexico. All the while Puebla kept reminding everyone that they were the inventors of this recipe.

A Light Summer Dish

Chiles en Nogada consists usually of one large chile poblano, cooked, and filled with a special stuffing, consisting of ground beef, aromatic herbs, and diced fruit, usually apples and peaches. This filling, called picadillo, is usually always a unique recipe, guarded like an important secret by each family or dining establishment.

The chili is then smothered in a walnut cream sauce, called the nogada, after nogal, the word for walnut, which is usually its own secret recipe. This sauce is usually served cold on top of the chili dish at room temperature. On top of this they scatter the pomegranate seeds.

At the place we went to partake of this seasonal delight, they took the presentation even one step further: They split the sauce-covered chili in three sections, covering it with pomegranates on the left, crushed walnuts in the middle, and chopped parsley on the right side. This way it resembled the flag even more. The only thing missing was a tiny eagle catching a snake in the middle! And yes, it was quite tasty.

Dish of the Nation?

For those who’d like to point out huevos a la Méxicana (scrambled eggs with red tomatoes, white onions, and green chilis), or remember me making fun of how Hungarians have the same three veggies in their flag (only horizontal), I’d like to remind them: there can be several dishes representing a nation, and also several nations can be represented by the same dish.

In fact, anything with some spicy salsa (= sauce) is already seen as super Mexican, and rightfully so. In my first year in Mexico I used to live in a hostel and make Hungarian dishes, which were all declared super Mexican. And why not? I didn’t see a problem with that. In fact, had there been any Bulgarians around (same colors in the flag), I’m sure they would have joined in as well. After all, who doesn’t eat onions, tomatoes, and spicy peppers? ;-)