Poblano mole: Mexican chocolate turkey

To continue unveiling Christmas culinary traditions around the world, we have taken you tickets for Mexico! Come and discover the country that mixes turkey and chocolate... in the same dish!

25 degrees, clear sky, aperos and sunsets feet in the sand... The month of Mexican December seems so far from ours! However, on the evening of the New Year’s Eve, these differences eclipse as families gather around the big Christmas tabs.

Then, nothing else counts only to enjoy those we love, the time of a magical evening. There's nothing else except perhaps... what's on the table, and on our plates! Seafood tray, foie gras, salmon, turkey, log: the Christmas meal is that of decadence! But culinary traditions are obviously not the same all over the world.

After discovering the history of Italian panettone , then the origins of gingerbread throughout Europe Discover a new surprising recipe: the chocolate turkey of Mexico!

Come and taste the legendary origins of mole poblano , while enjoying the historical anecdotes of which its origins contain.

1. Chocolate, long before the mole poblano

If the poblano mole – the chocolate sauce usually poured on turkey pieces – was born in the 17th century, the history linking Mexico and chocolate turned out to be much older.

We must go back to the olmen, Aztec and Mayan civilizations to understand the origin of its consumption. From the nahuatl language as guacamole , the “xocolatl” as we know it does not exist yet. At this time, chocolate is consumed only in the form of beverage and its taste is extremely bitter. Indeed, cocoa is mixed only with herbs and spices.

But already, its many "medicinal" properties are highlighted... to such a point that the chocolate drink is considered a drug! It is estimated at the time that cocoa is a gift of the Gods.

Later, the arrival of great European explorers such as Christophe Colomb or Hernan Cortés will promote the arrival of this drink in Europe. Over the years, its composition will change. With a very bitter and spicy set, the chocolate will become much sweeter, with the addition of sugar and milk.

So long prepared only in the convents, chocolate is at the base of our story, just as it is in the sauce of the Mexican "chocolate turkey".

2. The genesis of the mole...

Multiples are the legends that surround the creation of this mythical dish that is the mole poblano , considered today by some as the most representative dish of Mexico. If each of these versions differ, they overlap on many common points.

The most popular version of them reveals a story worthy of Christmas movies. We are then plunged to the dawn of the 17th century, while the convents bloom a bit everywhere in Mexican territory. A convent in particular, that of Santa Rosa, is at the center of the story.

While the Archbishop and Viceroy of Mexico Tomás Antonio de la Serna y Aragón is passing through Puebla, it falls under the charm of the small Mexican village, now a true metropolis. Located a hundred kilometres north of Mexico City, the one that is surnamed Puebla de los Angeles should be a must during your next trips to Mexico. In fact, its historic centre is classified as the UNESCO World Heritage Site and its architecture is a delight.

Conquered by the alleys of this village, the archbishop decides to stay there a few days in the convent of Santa Rosa. Famous, he warns the nuns of his imminent arrival, and asks that the best of their dishes be served him. Surprises and totally unsolved, the latter rely on only one of them truly mastering culinary associations: Andrea de la Asunción .

Thus, the Dominican makes the kitchen cupboards empty, to better see that they are almost empty. In her eyes only appear spices and spices... So, she tries to prepare a sauce, called mulli , or « mole » that it will serve to accompany a turkey of the gardens of the convent. While the preparation touches to its end, one of the Franciscans the trebuche convent when storing the spices.

...poblano!

In his maladdress, he overturns the pepper in the preparation of the young Andrea, making the dish too spicy. In realizing that it was impossible to serve this dish to the archbishop, Andrea then had “the” revelation: add the sweetness of the chocolate to counterbalance with the surplus of chili.

Remember: at the time, chocolate is almost exclusively made in convents! So, the Dominican nun doesn’t hesitate for a second, sure of its idea and the balancing of tastes. No time to taste his new soft that the Archbishop is already at table.

Then the young woman put two pieces of turkey on a plate accompanied by a little rice. It covers all of this sauce with chili peppers and chocolate, then sprinkle the plate of some sesame seeds so that it seems less fade. Result? The viceroy is behaved, and asks that this dish be served every day, a week during!

He would have, as soon as he returned to the kingdom, established the fame of this dish, which had become one of the holiday dishes in Mexico. The chocolate turkey has been consumed for decades on holiday days, whether Christmas or the “Day of the Dead”, an extremely symbolic feast for Mexicans.

This version of the story is inevitably contested, perhaps jealous of the notoriety of the dish. The names of the protagonists differ, as well as the desire or not to incorporate chocolate into the recipe. However, the city of Puebla, the presence of an archbishop and the convent’s recipe seems to be points common to each of these versions.

3. The poblano mole with the maroons, our "france" recipe

Ingredients

• 1 beautiful turkey
• 500g of maroon nature
• 10 peppers poblano
• 10 piments mulato
• 5 piments pasilla
• 500ml chicken broth
• 2 pinch of chopped garlic
• 2 minced onions
• 100g of almonds
• 100g sesame seeds
• 4 pelted tomatoes
• 2 tortillas fried with oil and cut into pieces
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 5 cloves
• 40g black chocolate (preferably Mexican)
• 200g butter
• Sel
• Poivre

Preparation

• Clean and cook turkey with boiling water; continue preparation during cooking time;
• Cut the peppers and let them cook for an hour in boiling water;
• Once cooked, keep the water and throw the stems and the seeds;
• Mix chili peppers, garlic, onions, almonds, peeled tomatoes, tortillas, cinnamon, clove nails, salt and pepper;
• Add the soaking water with chilli peppers, half a liter of broth and let it all thicken by leaving in your pan with soft heat, stirring continuously so that the sauce takes a beautiful look;
• Once the turkey is cooked with boiling water, cut it and finish the butter cooking in a large pot;
• In another saucepan, cook your brown chestnuts in a previously baked pan;
• Incorporate your soft sauce in the pot, add broth to your convenience, and incorporate the chocolate. When the latter is melted, your sauce will be ready;
• Serve your turkey and its "poblano mole" sauce and accompany your cooked maroons. Sprinkle with some sesame seeds.