Tour Guide, Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico
| 7 mins read
Brief History of mole
"If it's good to eat it is good to think."
When we hear the word "mole", we think of dishes made from dried chilies and spices. But the word "mole" comes from molli, in classic and contemporary Nahuatl means "stew". Hence some built - in word casseroles do not present flavoring dried chiles, VG the michmole or auacamolli .
Fray Bernardino de Sahagun, in his General History of the Things of New Spain , describes "meals used by the lords" and "meals of ordinary people". I am sure that in these recipes cooks several of my friends identify dishes that are currently prepared and then understand the continuity of our cuisine.
Sahagún tells us that "the lords also ate many ways casseroles. One of them was called totolin patzcalmolli , which means "chicken casserole made his way with vermilion and tomato chile and pumpkin seeds", called pipiana agora ".
Or maybe this one: "A della called huahquilmolli , made of cooked amaranth and yellow chili and tomatoes and pumpkin seeds."
"Another casserole ate, called mazaxoco mulli iztac michyo, means unripe plums casserole with a blanquecillos minnows with yellow peppers and tomatoes and pumpkin seeds."
And we also find the soupy moles, as he ate at the feast of the eighteenth month Izcalli . He also called this party motlaxquian tota , which means "our father the fire roasted to eat." For this celebration damn tamales they were made. And the food it ate with those tamales were some shrimp they call acocilti , made with a broth known as Chamul mulli .
Then we have the molli as sauces, called chilmule . Another way to chilmule called chilcuzmulli xitomallo, means "mulli yellow chili and tomato". And what about our auaca mulli , Molina's vocabulary defines it as "food of auacate".
One of the pressing needs of travelers is food, reaching an unknown and inhospitable place can terrify us and then we thought: what will I eat? So I imagine the conquistadors upon arrival to America and Mesoamerica in particular. But let the chroniclers who schmooze us what happened to the arrival of these adventurers.
Fray Diego Duran in his History of the Indies of New Spain and Terra Firma Islands , tells us about the time when Moctezuma was informed of the presence of the bearded men and how he sent them presents and food. Duran describes the episode in which the emissary of Moctezuma has contact with the Spanish, "he and his partner arrived the food to the shore and put it on the rocks, next to where the boat came to fish."
We note that the Indians sitting at the edge of the beach while they were spotted by the crew, with great haste then a boat in the water was set to go for them. The envoy delivered the presents and asks to be taken to address ship. Having reached the ship got all the fruit and food on it.
This is where Dona Marina serves as interpreter to Cortes and he hears gossip kingdom, but what I want to tell you is how was the gastronomic meeting.
Duran goes on to say that the emissary of Moctezuma entreated the Spaniards who eat of that which brought them to his master. The Indian replied, "say these gods kiss his hands, they will eat. But, because they are not made to eat such foods, which try them first, and then we'll eat. "
The Indians began to try and eat everything, and as they tried out, the Spaniards were taking: of those roasted chickens, and those casseroles (? Moles maybe), and the bread, and eat with much rejoicing ... and taking them Spaniards drank cocoa, cooling with that, that's really cool drink ... the Indian said, "this gentleman because they are loose and exhilarated with your food says; and begs you eat you now yours ... And sacándoles biscuits and bacon and a few pieces of beef jerky, they got to eat.
Well after this comidita the woodcock was armed, they took the wine and our Indians grabbed the pitcher and stayed to sleep on the boat. Duran says, "And staying that night on the ship, because the wine they had drunk, they did not hit out of it."
Moctezuma's emissaries back to tell him what lived and deliver the presents sent Cortes, including a piece of biscuit. Moctezuma tried it and said it looked rough stone. With fear of eating, he said it was a thing of the gods, so he sent him to bury in Tula. So our dear Moctezuma washed his hands instead of saying, "I do not like".
Then the story tells the Conquest, how the blending of our people was conducted. And at this point Duran says: "where those amequemecan met him, and also to bring rich gifts ... They offered many girls, beautiful girls, very young, all very gallant and well dressed ... The agimiento soldiers they received them with thanks and thanked them for the present.
At the time of the Conquest, soldiers came alone, without their wives. They had to join the Indian, they ate what they prepared them. Then they learned to eat the products that the Spaniards had brought, giving way to culinary miscegenation.
Already in full Cologne, the mixture of culinary cultures acquires a definite structure: indigenous women are confined to the kitchen and Creole women develop as ladies of the houses. While the latter had the recipes were those with Indian seasoning.
In the convent, the nuns of noble caste maids had prepared them meals. The mullis began then developed with new products, enriched with species from beyond the sea. In turn, the recipes in convents were magnified by the new dishes that were integrated to the Conventual diet.
The clemol or stain tablecloths, for example, inspired pen Juana Inés de la Cruz, who proposed the tablecloths stained with sesame seeds, chili peppers and chicken seasoned with classic fruits: bananas, sweet potatoes and apples.
Thus we come to the eighteenth century, where we find the invention of mole, the authors of such prodigies are several, but the most recognized are:
Sor Andrea de la Asuncion, who was part of the convent of the Dominican nuns of Santa Rosa, and prepares a special dish because of the visit of the Bishop Don Manuel Fernandez de Santa Cruz and his guest, the Viceroy Don Antonio de la Cerda and Aragon, March 1681.
Fray Pascual, another character is recognized among the inventors of the mole. When San Pascual was a friar, preparing the banquet that her convent offered the Viceroy of New Spain and Archbishop of Puebla, Don Juan de Palafox y Mendoza.
Sister Mary of Perpetual Help was the one that included chocolate mole recipe that served the Bishop Fernandez de Santa Cruz and Sahagún.
Paco Ignacio Taibo says, "the mole, like almost all the essential things, was invented when they invented".
What we can say is that the invention of the mole is not the product of chance, but the result of a slow cooking process initiated since prehispanic and perfected time, yes, in colonial times, when Mexican cuisine enriched with Asian elements and European.
And as Alfonso Reyes said: "the turkey mole is the piece de resistance in our kitchen; the touchstone of cooking and eating and refuse mole almost be considered a treason ".
Bon Appetite.
Brief history of mole, talk given under the 7th Festival of 7 moles. Former convent of St. Paul Antrop. Julio Cesar Flores.