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
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