Chiles en Nogada: The interesting origin of a national symbol

illustrious Characters
Escrito por Armando Santini

Within the great variety of Mexican gastronomy, there are dishes that are served only in the month of September, this month is when Mexico declared independence from the Spanish Crown in 1821, they are dishes with seasonal ingredients, related to the end of the rainy season, the green fields give us a great variety of chiles, especially the Poblano Chile or Chile Ancho, it is also the season of Cacahucintle Corn, and fruits such as pears, apples and pomegranates.

The restaurants, in dining rooms and in the privacy of the home, offer every year the emblematic dishes of Mexico's independence, which I find very curious, the pride of being an independent nation is reflected in the national gastronomic traditions, the dishes are the color of the Mexican flag, made with seasonal ingredients, such as pozole, Mexican style eggs, guacamole, etc.

Among all the dishes of September, there is one that is the most representative, it is called Chile en Nogada, a dish that is beautiful to look at and delicious to taste, with a creamy, spicy, fruity and smoky flavor, very complex, although each house and each restaurant has its own recipe, all are delicious and makes a visit to a new place a surprise. The chefs are under public scrutiny, so they work hard to offer their version of Chile en Nogada.

We have to recognize that these dishes are part of a national construction with a political discourse, it is not bad, all countries do it, but it confuses the historical origin of the elements, even to this day there is a fight about the origin of Chile en Nogada, It is officially recognized that it was first made in the Convent of Santa Monica in the state of Puebla by the Augustinian nuns to celebrate the independence of Mexico as well as the birthday of the hero Agustin de Iturbide, general of the Mexican forces that defeated the Spaniards, taking advantage of the seasonal ingredients they made this dish for the Trigarante Army when they were returning to Mexico City. It is said that the nuns prepared a banquet in honor of General Agustín de Iturbide precisely in their convent, according to the popular myth, Agustín believed that the Spaniards wanted to poison him and was determined not to try anything, even claiming an upset stomach, but the nuns served him a dish with the colors of their Trigarante flag and he could not resist, he liked the Chile en Nogada so much that he decided to repeat and so it became a legend, however there is no document that locates Agustin eating in a convent on August 28, 1821 in Puebla, but how beautiful the legend sounds.

Agustín de Iturbide entrando a Puebla 

Other versions suggest that the order of the Clarisas nuns made this dish years before in the form of a dessert. It could not be missing the attribution of this cultural element by the elite of Puebla, who claim that ladies of high society prepared this dish with their ingenuity to receive General Agustin de Iturbide, who would be the next King of Mexico, this seems to me the least credible and most insipid, because let's be honest, can anyone imagine ladies of high society in 1821 cooking for soldiers and receiving them in their mansions?

The fact is that this dish arises from the culinary culture of the state of Puebla, with ingredients native to the region and others brought from Europe, only with a touch of myth, which makes the dish raises its emblematic status and generates debates in the kitchens.

It has not been possible to locate any recipe until the middle of the 19th century, in the recipe book of independent Mexico, El Cocinero Mexicano (1831) and it was not the recipe we know today, then we find a recipe a little more similar in the second half of the 19th century with the document Formulario Poblano de cocina mexicana.

Nothing comes out spontaneously, they are cultural inheritances that pass from generation to generation orally and eventually a written document is created to evidence the cultural history of the communities, surely the same thing happened with the Chile en Nogada.

For example, there is no evidence that this dish was created in the Baroque period, between the XVII and XVIII centuries, but the fact that such an elaborate and complex dish was served in its preparation and ingredients in the XIX century, tells us that surely something similar was already being prepared in previous centuries, it was a gastronomic construction, not by nutritional necessity as other dishes, but for culinary refinement, Therefore, it was surely created for the Puebla elites, families with economic power who enjoyed gastronomy that was pleasing to the eye, that was delicious, with a pleasant aroma, things that only they could enjoy, as they still had a direct connection with Europe, something that was not too spicy, something more balanced, even sweet, sugar being a luxury good.

The recipes of Chile en Nogada change over time, the first was prepared with vinegar, cloves, saffron, goat and goat cheese in the sauce, in the most recent ones include seafood and spicy sauce, we even have Chile en Nogada ice cream.

In conclusion we may not know who or where Chile en Nogada was invented, but it has an interesting origin, origin that pushes to create legends and myths, making this dish something unique in Mexican gastronomy, it is part of the Mexican identity and pride, if you have the opportunity to visit Mexico in September, I invite you to eat Chile en Nogada, I promise you will not regret it.

Here is a recent recipe, if you are adventurous you can prepare it at home, although it is laborious, it is a good culinary adventure.

For 10 Chiles.

For the chiles:

10 poblano peppers

6 cups of water

5 tablespoons of grated piloncillo or brown or mascabada sugar

To cook the meat:

1 kg of pork shoulder, loin, leg or rib, or a mixture of meat such as veal and beef, boneless and cut into chunks.

2 cloves garlic

1/4 white onion

1 carrot, peeled and cut in halves

1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme, or a couple of fresh sprigs

5 whole black peppers

1 teaspoon salt

To prepare the stuffing:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped white onion

1/2 kilo of ripe tomatoes previously blended or 2 cups of tomato puree.

The meat must be ground

2 cups of the meat broth

1 teaspoon of salt

90 g of chopped caramelized pineapple or cornichon

1 cup (1 1/4) peeled and chopped plantains

1 Barlett pear (1 1/4 cups) chopped

1 apple, chopped 1 1/4 cups

1 large yellow peach, large and ripe but firm, chopped, 1 1/4 cups

Pinch of cumin

Pinch of ground cloves or 4-5 whole, crushed seeds and stems removed

1 stick cinnamon

1/4 cup raisins, whole

1/4 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted

1/4 cup lightly toasted pine nuts

1/4 cup green olives

For the nogada:

1 1/2 cups freshly peeled walnuts.

If not fresh, do not use packaged, substitute pecans instead.

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup milk or to taste

1/4 cup powdered sugar or more to taste

Pinch of salt or to taste

Pinch of ground white pepper

1 tablespoon dry sherry or to taste

To garnish:

1 cup pomegranate seeds

1/4 cup chopped parsley optional

To prepare

To prepare the chiles: Rinse and roast or roast the chiles. To roast them, place them on a baking sheet under the broiler, directly on the broiler, on a hot griddle, or directly on the stove. In either case, turn them every 2 or 3 minutes, until they are toasted on the outside, but not burned. Place them, still very hot, in a plastic bag. Close the bag tightly and cover with a kitchen towel. Let them sweat for 10 to 20 minutes.

Remove the chiles one by one, and peel them in the sink. At the same time, rinse the chiles with water. With a knife, make a cut on one side and downward on each chile to remove the membrane and seeds. Do this carefully so as not to damage the chile. Leave the stems on. Put them in a container and cover them with water previously boiled with piloncillo or sugar for 2 to 24 hours. If you are going to soak them for more than 2 hours, refrigerate them covered when they have cooled. Drain the chiles and use them or refrigerate them again. You can prepare them 4 or 5 days in advance at this point.

To prepare the stuffing: In a pot, put the meat, already cut into 8 to 10 cm pieces with the garlic, 1/4 onion, cloves, carrots, bay leaves, thyme, peppers and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover with the water and heat over medium-high heat. Boil for 20 to 25 minutes, until the meat is cooked. Turn off the heat and let the meat and broth cool. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and mince. Set aside. Strain the broth, put it in a bowl and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic clove and brown for one minute, or until it releases its aroma, but don't let it brown too much or it will burn. Add the onion and sauté for a couple of minutes until it begins to brown. Pour in the tomato puree and let it season, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes, until it takes on a darker color, thickens and loses its raw flavor.

Add the ground beef, 2 cups of the beef broth and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir well and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chopped cornichon, stir with the meat and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chopped plantain, pear, apple and peach and stir gently. Cook for a couple of minutes more. Sprinkle in the cumin and ground cloves, stirring to mix the spices with the rest of the ingredients. Place the cinnamon stick in the middle of the pan, cover and lower the heat to medium. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Uncover the pan and add the raisins, almonds, pine nuts, green olives and stir well. Rectify the seasoning. Add more salt if necessary. Turn off the heat. You can make the stuffing up to two days in advance. Let it cool, cover and refrigerate.

To prepare the nogada: Blend all the ingredients, except the sherry, until you get a smooth sauce. You can make the sauce up to a couple of days ahead and refrigerate it, but let it come to room temperature before using. Add the sherry to the sauce up to 2 hours before serving. You can add sherry to taste, without making the sauce taste like strong alcohol. If it thickened in the refrigerator, thin it a little with milk.

And finally... To assemble the chiles en nogada: Place the chiles on a platter. Fill each one with about 1/2 cup of filling. Close the chiles as much as you can. Pour a generous portion of nogada on top to cover the chiles completely, and sprinkle pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley on top.

NOTE: Some chefs bread and fry the chiles before adding the nogada. That version is heavier and is rarely used anymore.

Armando Santini
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