Mole Poblano

Puebla

Mole poblano over turkey or chicken. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Mole poblano is Mexico's most famous sauce: a dark, complex blend of dried chiles, chocolate, nuts, seeds and spices, traditionally served over turkey or chicken with rice. Legend credits the nuns of Puebla's Santa Rosa convent with its invention.

A proper mole takes a day to make and contains twenty or more ingredients. It is celebratory food: weddings, baptisms and national holidays.

Key ingredients

Dried chiles: mulato, ancho and pasilla
Chocolate, peanuts, almonds and sesame
Tortilla and bread as thickeners, plantain, anise and clove
Turkey or chicken, white rice

Where to try it

Puebla's traditional restaurants and the convent kitchens of the historic center
Fonda-style restaurants in Mexico City
Oaxaca for the seven moles, a different tradition from the poblano original