Mole (Part 2)

            Mole is the typical dish in a Mexican household. They said that 99% of Mexicans that live in Mexico have tried or tasted at least one type of mole. Researchers said that mole has a pre-Hispanic origin. They have found documents that describe the Aztecs preparing and cooking this dish. After the conquest and the arrival of the Spaniards, the mole took another dimension. It has been enriched with Asian and European ingredients until taking the flavor that is presented today.

            Since the Aztecs, mole was prepared by the poor Indians and finally served to their kings. Nowadays, in Mexico mole is eaten by lower and middle class. Villages and small towns prepared mole in special and big occasions. In the Mexican weddings, mole is prepared by the godmothers, aunts, grandmothers and even neighbors. All of them come together and with joy and happiness they start cooking the sauce. Because mole has more than 30 ingredients, you will need help from everybody to make this delicious plate. The wedding ceremonies in Oaxaca last eight days! And you’ll be surprised that we never run out of food.

            The people from Oaxaca are humble, generous, and helpful. Everybody in the community contributes to the food, because it it’s a very special occasion for the bride to be. When I was little, I do not remember lasting the whole week celebrating and having fun! But my mom told me something very peculiar. The last day of celebration is only for the cooks and chefs. Is the special day for the cook ladies! On this day, they finally take a break. Some of the women rest and sing, while others dance all night long! The guests and family come together and thank each of the cooks. For their time, dedication, and delicious flavor they shared and prepared. My mom told me that the tradition is that girls need to learn how to make mole before they get married!

            Here in the United States, mole has become a prestigious gourmet. Last year, I went to New York City, where they say is the second home of the most delicious mole, for the reason that you will find people from Puebla and Oaxaca. I went out with my friends and they all decided to go to a Mexican restaurant! Having thousands of restaurants and different choices of food, for instance, Italian, Greek, Chinese, and Japanese, I ended up in a Mexican restaurant! I felt horrible… So I decided to order mole. It was pretty good, but nothing compared to the real Mexican mole. I was very curious in how they served the mole, through delicacy, clean and overall a beautiful plate. I wasn’t expecting that. After we all finished eating, I got my receipt… I was in total shock! The plate of mole that only consisted of a chicken breast, with the sauce on top, rice and guacamole on the side was twenty three dollars! With that money, in Mexico I could feed thirty people a big and delicious plate of mole, including drinks and a dessert! From then, I understood that here in the United States, mole has become an expensive plate that only middle and high class people can afford. You will find this type of plate be served in a prestigious and elegant restaurant that can be consumed with wine. On the other hand, in Mexico we just drink coca cola or agua de horchata. Some classic Mexican dishes have evolved with a gourmet twist.

Learning more of what I came from, I understood what mole represents. It represents happiness, harmony, abundance and overall pride. It makes me a proud Mexican, because currently, less and less people want to spend their time and effort doing an exquisite and difficult dish. I am happy that my mom showed me my roots and overall how to make this delicious plate from scratch.

Angelica Romero

Holy Mole!

            Since I was a little girl, I have probably been to about twenty weddings in my whole life. It is hard to remember all of them, but there is one that I will never forget and it definitely marked my life forever.

           The city of Oaxaca is one of the most beautiful colonial cities in Mexico. Our culture, food, traditions and humble people, makes this place irresistible. Weddings in Oaxaca are unpredictable and fun! When I was seven years old, I went to my cousin’s wedding. In the traditional Mexican weddings, you will find more than 50 godfathers. From the godfather of the ring, the godfather of the banquet, the godfather of drinks, the godfather of gifts, the godfather of music, etc, etc.  During this celebration, the tradition is that each of the godfathers will dance and celebrate with the gifts. However, in Oaxaca we have very unusual gifts. For instance, live chickens, turkeys, donkeys, cows, and goats,  to furniture like chairs, tables, and even toilets. This is the part that I enjoyed the most. It was hilarious watching my dad dancing and struggling with the turkey. At the end, these animals will become part of the weeding banquet and our abuelitas will cook something special for that day.

            So after a few hours, everyone is waiting for the delicious food to come. We start with a fideo soup with beans and tortillas. Then the big meal comes next, but this time, I was a little confused… The plate had a chicken breast with an unusual black salsa on top. I didn’t know what it was… So I asked my mom. For the first time I was looking at Black Mole! My mom told me that only in Oaxaca, we have more than 30 types of mole, and in Mexico we have more than 300 choices of mole. But what is mole? Why is it black? Why does it smell like chocolate? How will it taste? I had so many questions in my mind, but I was ready to try it.

            I took the first bite… Holy Mole! This is incredibly delicious! It was rich, thick, sweet, spicy, and with a touch of pleasant bitterness. I could also taste a little taste of chocolate flavor combined with smoked chiles. Every time I took a bite and closed my eyes, I could see fireworks in my mind. I was not paying attention to anything else, I was enjoying the moment with my new best friend. From that moment, I wanted to know everything about mole!

 

           I learned that the state of Oaxaca is called “the land of the seven moles”, with these being named mole negro, amarillo, colorado, verde, chichilo, coloradito and mancha mantel. All differently colored and flavored, depending on the distinctive chiles and herbs. My favorite is mole negro, it has more than 30 ingredients. From cinnamon, peanuts, burned tortillas, to ten types of chiles, but the taste of chocolate and the distinct addition of a plant named hoja santa, makes this sauce the most complex and difficult to make. As a result, the labor intensive part of mole is the toasting and grinding, for this reason, we find fewer people making this exquisite sauce. Nowadays they sell commercially jars available for mole, but the tradition of the grandmothers and cousins making the mole is just part of our proud household tradition. Enjoying the moment with family members and the newlyweds, makes this festivity very special. Eating mole and having a little toast of mezcal makes you become more closer to your family, is a unique bond that will last forever.

            In Mexico, mole is synonym of fiesta and tradition. It constitutes to the classic celebration of weddings, birthdays, baptisms and other festivities. Mole is part of my life, with respect and admiration, now I understand my customs. A legacy of those who gave life to this land, that maintain us attached to our roots, it makes me more proud of where I came from. Every time I eat mole, it just brings a sentimental value of comfort and joy to my family members that still live in Oaxaca and it brings back childhood memories of happiness. The culinary techniques, customs, traditions and culture make me a proud citizen of Oaxaca, and I know one day I will teach my children the roots of the Mexican traditions.

 

Food Aversion

          For me food is deliciousness and I can try everything and anything. I’m not picky when it comes to food. I have tried worms, grasshoppers, cow (intestines, tongue, guts), pigs nose and even duck. So after thinking and thinking what food I don’t like, I couldn’t think of anything! So I decided to go to HEB. After walking through the vegetables and fruits isle, I became closer and closer to where the cheeses counter was… in that moment I remember a very sour and stinky fruit. There it was… OLIVES! I hate olives, the smell, how they look and just to think that sometimes they have seeds on the inside makes me want to vomit! My nose can’t handle the smell of vinegar and then I remember! PICKLES! Gross! I have tried pickles before, so in my mind I knew it was going to be the same taste! I had to run like a little girl, I could not handle the smell of cheese mixed with the oil and vinegar of the olives. For me it doesn’t matter, black or green olives are disgusting. Even when they order a pizza, I have to remove all the olives, also in martinis and salads. After shopping, I got out of HEB, and I completely forgot to buy some olives! I guess I totally blocked olives from my mind. 

So last Friday, I had to babysit, and I was a little hungry so I went to the pantry, and there it was… a huge glass bottle full of green olives, I stare for 10 seconds, but I needed to have some courage and the strength to taste if for the first time! Before I ate it, I went really fast to the refrigerator and pulled a can of coke, just in case my tongue stayed with the flavor. Then I open the glass container, and right away, the smell of vinegar! I finally took one olive with my two fingers, it was so squishy that I was ready to throw it in the garbage, but then I put it really fast in my mouth and I started chewing. I felt like a little 2 year old tasting lime for the first time! It was so salty but bitter at the same time that I had to eat it really fast! Till this day I can’t eat olives! 

On Sunday I was talking with my mom, and she reminded me of something, a condition I have in my tongue. It is called geographic tongue and scientifically named Benign Migratory Glossitis, it sounded so scary! Mine is not as gross as the pictures on Google. But I wonder… Do people get infected? Is it contagious? Does your taste in food change? I had to do some research. The doctors say that there is no treatment and the cause is uncertain, but thank goodness is not contagious, it just runs in the family genes. According to the A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia, “Geographic tongue is a map-like appearance of your tongue due to irregular patches on its surface.” It does not change the taste of the food, however, irritation and burning pain can occur from hot, spicy, acid and sour foods. So then I remember! I love pineapple! But my tongue can’t handle it too much, neither strawberries and cantaloupe. I guess my tongue is a little sensitive to certain foods, especially with acid foods, sometimes I can keep the taste of cantaloupe for many hours in my tongue. I guess everyone is different, but in my case I love to discover, learn, and taste every kind of food. 

                                                                                                     Angelica Romero

Sources:

 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002044/