Where are the chiles en nogada from?
Currently, chiles en nogada can be found in practically all the states of the Mexican Republic, but they have their origin in the state of Puebla.
What does en nogada mean?
From lat. nux, nucis 'nut' and -ada.
Sauce made from nuts and spices1
What is the origin of chiles en nogada?
There are those who date the origin of chiles en nogada in September 18212However, there are written documents until the second half of the 19th century.3
As for its creation, there are several stories of Puebla families that attribute it to them, but the most widespread story tells that this dish was created by the Augustinian Nuns of the Santa Mónica Convent in Puebla, to celebrate the Independence of Mexico and Agustín de Iturbide's birthday as it passed through the city of Puebla.
This story relates that when Iturbide returned to the capital after signing the Treaties of Cordoba in Veracruz, he decided to make a stopover in the city of Puebla to celebrate his birthday. His followers decided to celebrate in a big way and prepared a sumptuous banquet in the convent of Santa Monica, where the Augustinian nuns were in charge of making a dish, which was not only worthy of a king, but also provided a treat in sight and it included the three colors of the flag of the new nation: green, white and red.
Symbolism, What do the colors on this dish mean?
The green of the poblano pepper and the parsley symbolize independence.
The white of the nogada, created with the walnut, represents religion.
The red of the grains of the pomegranate signifies the union between the people.
These three colors were chosen by Iturbide for his banner of the three guarantees (union, religion and independence), colors that are preserved in the current Mexican flag.
What is the season for chiles en nogada?
The season for chiles en nogada is dictated because the ingredients can be harvested and these are available from July to September.
What are chiles en nogada ingredients?
The ingredients vary depending on the recipe, but the most used are:
- Poblano peppers
- Vegetable oil
- Garlic
- Onions
- Ground beef and pork
- Tomato
- Almonds
- Raisins
- Plantains
- Pine nuts
- Spices (cloves, cinnamon, pepper, salt)
- Creole peach
- Pear
- Panochera apples
- Acitron
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Flour
- Walnut
- Cow milk
- Puebla's goat cheese
- Chopped parsley
- Red pomegranates
Sources
1 (2021). Retrieved 3 September 2021, from https://dle.rae.es/nogada
2 Cabrera Acosta, V., Galindo Casas, P., Jaramillo Morales, L., Martinez Casas, T., & Sarmiento Fernández, K. (2016). El chile en nogada en la gastronomía mexicana y su posible maridaje. Retrieved 2 September 2021, from https://tinyurl.com/cmua7r35
3 Geographic, N. (2021). ¿Cómo nacieron los chiles en nogada? – National Geographic en Español. Retrieved 2 September 2021, from https://tinyurl.com/k5rm7wh2
Chile in nogada Photo courtesy of La Media Naranja
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