It’s almost time for Chiles en Nogada!

Published August 16, 2024

Mexican Food is wonderful and delicious it is one of the most important in the world for many reasons, but nothing is as iconic when it comes to speaking about Mexican Cuisine as Chiles en Nogada. They are the truest and most representative of Mexican dishes. And this is why you must try it in September.

It´s a fact that chiles en nogada are seasonal. They’re mostly available during the time of the Fiestas Patrias, or Patriotic Parties in September.

Why is it only truly available during this time? It’s because the ingredients, like the pomegranate and the walnut, are seasonal.

History: The year is 1821, Agustín de Iturbide has signed the Córdoba agreements and of course Mexico’s Independence Act. The place is the Santa Monica Convent in Puebla. Agustín nuns learned that Iturbide would be in their city to celebrate his saint day (August 28) and they decided to come up with a dish that would represent the colors of the flag. And it coincided with the time in which they would harvest walnuts and pomegranates.

They took some chili poblanos, roasted, peeled, and cleaned them. Then they filled them up with picadillo where the flavors were based in pork, tomato, onion, garlic, seasonal fruits, nuts, almonds, and pine nuts, among various spices. All they needed was to create the sauce and so they created it with fresh walnuts from scratch. It was a combination of the nuts, a bit of cheese, a bit of sugar mixed it up with milk and a little sherry, and voilà. The plate was almost complete so they used parsley leaves and pomegranate seeds. And there they were, the three colors of the Mexican flag: red, white, and green.

Source: OEM