Guadalajara (Mexico) (EFE).- Mole is one of the dishes that synthesizes the diversity of ingredients that Mexican gastronomy has, considered an intangible heritage of humanity, but also the festive and celebratory spirit that characterizes the culture of this country, chefs in Guadalajara (western Mexico) agreed.
Mole, known as mulli, in pre-Hispanic times, is an old Mexican recipe always made with some variety of chili, pumpkin seed and red tomato that can contain up to 50 more ingredients, depending on the region of the country in which it is prepared.
The diversity of seeds, vegetables, flowers, spices, legumes and herbs that are added are carefully roasted and ground by hand to create a thick sauce that can have up to 400 variations with flavors ranging from sweet to intense and spicy.
Olga Cabrera Oropeza, a traditional chef from the state of Oaxaca, in the south of the country, assured in an interview with EFE that mole is one of the foods that best represents the gastronomic diversity of Mexico that allows chefs to “let their imagination fly” to combine ingredients.
“That they give themselves this freedom to be able to create because that is what will allow us to preserve our ingredients for longer. Today we eat a mole that surely someone created 50 or 100 years ago, like the moles we have in Oaxaca. We hope that the proposals that are made now will also become traditional moles”, he affirmed.
The mole, for large celebrations
Cabrera Oropeza is heir to the Mixtec culture and gastronomy of Oaxaca. She started selling food in the market in her hometown of Huajuapan de León, to later found the restaurant “Tierra del Sol” in the state capital and become one of the best-known traditional cooks in the region.
Creator of 30 moles, some made from corn, the specialist considers that mole is a “kind” food and a symbol of miscegenation, which allows each family to have a different recipe to entertain diners at parties and large celebrations.
“The mole is a party dish and we Mexicans are happy, we are affectionate and the mole for foreigners is like receiving that affection or living that party. Preparing a mole (…) requires time, patience, family unity, it is generally prepared by the oldest women because they have that knowledge, we work happily having a party from the moment of preparation, ”she explained.
In an interview with EFE, chef Oscar Garza pointed out that, in addition to partying, mole means enjoying being with the family, sitting at the table to enjoy food and company.
“As Mexicans, we have that part of the party that we associate with the family. We have that attachment to the family, to grandmothers, to the mother, to a celebration, we have it and we know how to appreciate it, and being with a range of flavors in a restaurant also gives you the chance to create or transport yourself to that emotion”, he stated.
Versatility and diversity
Cabrera Oropeza and chef Oscar Garza, finalists for the 2023 Restaurant Merit Award granted by the food industry, created a mole whose main ingredient is black truffle, a fungus typical of southern European countries, which is combined with several Oaxacan chili peppers to give life to a dish whose flavor floods the palate from the first bite.
In his eagerness to spread the cuisine of Mexico, chef Garza created a dish known as “probadita de moles” in which he offers 10 different types of this food such as poblano, from the state of Puebla; yellow, originally from Oaxaca or pepián, typical of Jalisco, pink made with pine nuts, typical of Guerrero or green, originally from Veracruz.
The executive chef of the Bruna restaurant in Guadalajara also included moles created by himself, such as one containing flowers from his garden; the white, which has plantains and white chocolate, and the norteño with endemic ingredients from Nuevo León.
“This is the versatility of mole, that you can add more ingredients and there are no limits, it’s the fun of cooking, playing with all the flavors we have in Mexico and we can bring other flavors from another place and be able to add to the mole and that’s super tasty,” he concluded.