MEXICO CITY – Mexican gastronomy is divided by the different stages of the country’s history: pre-Hispanic, traditional, ancestral, and, in more recent times, contemporary cuisine. This has led to many dishes rich in history and taste, among them Chiles en Nogada, where traditional and contemporary cuisine collide.
In the Coyoacán neighborhood in Mexico City, the restaurant Los Danzantes serves this popular seasonal entrée.
It is a world-renowned dish that some Mexicans wait all year to enjoy, but despite living in Mexico my entire life, I had yet to try it before attending Youth Journalism International’s 2024 Global Conference in Mexico City.
And when I did, the experience was not only a new culinary opportunity for me but also a lesson in Mexican history.
Chiles en Nogada is a poblano pepper stuffed with beef, pork, and seasonal fruits, covered in a luscious white nogada cream sauce.
“Among its principal ingredients, there is the protein part seen through the beef and pork mix, then seasonal fruits such as panochera apple, pears of San Juan, Creole peach, plantain, and some spices such as cinnamon, cloves, pepper, and citron,” said Chef Sergio Camacho, who prepares the dish for his customers at Los Danzantes.
According to the chef, the sweet white sauce is made from the fruit of the arbol de nogal, or walnut tree. The main ingredients are the Castilla walnut, sherry, fresh panela cheese and cream.
The “en Nogada” in the dish’s name points to it being drowned in walnut sauce, which gives the dish a sweet taste.
Yet understanding its historical significance is what makes eating an enlightening experience for any food enthusiast.
And with the richness of its history, enjoying the Chiles en Nogada goes beyond its taste.
Let’s start with its religious roots.
“This dish was born in the conventual cuisine around 1821, when Mexico’s Independence movement was going on,” Camacho said. “It was conceived, according to historians, in the convent of Santa Mónica right in the center of Puebla by some mother Carmelitas to honor the Trigarante army led by Agustín de Iturbide, one of the main heroes in the independence movement.”
Spanish colonizers had forcefully painted Mexico with its red and yellow flag for decades. This dish celebrated Mexico’s independence by emphasizing the colors of its newly independent flag: the green of the poblano chili/parsley, the white of the nogada sauce, and the red of the pomegranate.
But the dish also contains pork, which is not native to Mexico but was brought by the Spanish. Its combination of Spanish-brought ingredients and techniques with the traditionally Mexican seasonal fruits and poblano pepper is what makes this particular dish a mixture of traditional and contemporary.
Although Chiles en Nogada is very popular – especially to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day on September 16 – it is limited in availability since the fruits used are at their best and highest flavor at the beginning of July and only last for three months.
As such, the season for this dish starts in July and ends at the beginning of October.
The panochera apple, creole peach, and San Juan pear are examples of seasonal fruits used in Chile en Nogada. And the same applies to la nuez de castilla, or walnuts from Castille, which, according to the chef, “would have to be fresh to respect the many steps of this recipe.”
This renowned and traditional dish could be made anywhere in Mexico, but these core ingredients, such as the seasonal fruits, chilis and walnut trees tend to blossom more in the centric part of the country.
Because of that, states near the center, like Tlaxcala, Puebla, Ciudad de México and parts of Hidalgo, tend to see this dish more often than states far from it, like my home state, Tamaulipas.
Yet despite tasting Chiles en Nogada for the first time at Los Danzantes, it felt familiar.
When the waiter set the plate of Chiles en Nogada in front of me, the most pungent smell came from the nogada cream sauce that covered the pepper.
The fruits were sprinkled in a way that looked like freckles, with the four cilantro leaves accentuating the natural green of the chile poblano while the black of the plate highlighted the white color of the nogada cream sauce.
Often, dishes focus on extravagance to capture the eater’s attention, but the beauty of the nogada comes not from its ostentatiousness but from its representations of Mexican culture.
The presentation was excellent, but how does this traditional dish taste?
The nogada cream sauce had a very sweet flavor, and the pomegranate sprinkled in it gave it texture due to its arils.
The chile poblano was something I had eaten before in the north of Mexico. It was spicy enough to give a tingling sensation to your tongue, but not enough to be unpleasant or have the need to drink water every bite you take. The spice of the pepper adds a warmth to your mouth that is offset by this mostly cool dish.
The pork, beef, and fruit mix inside the chile poblano had a chewy texture. It was salty because of the pork and beef, but also somewhat sweet because of the added fruits and seeds, such as pear or pine nuts.
It tasted like a combination of something I’d eat at home with the experience of something new from the seeds and fruits.
The nogada cream sauce, chile poblano, and the mix inside it tasted fine separately, but together they were surprisingly pleasant. It was sweet initially and then smoothly transitioned to a delightful amount of spice from the chile poblano.
The pomegranate gave it a nice crunchiness, and the meat blended surprisingly well with it all together. The chile poblano provides a spicy heat, but the sweet sauce helped balance that out and bring the spice level down.
At first, I was skeptical if the sweetness of the nogada sauce would go well with the spice of the chile poblano and the saltiness of the meat.
But this traditional dish did not gain its international and local recognition for nothing. I now understand why people wait excitedly for Chiles en Nogada season to arrive, and it’s definitely something I’d order for special occasions.
At Los Danzantes, the dish cost 640 pesos, which would translate to roughly 34 dollars, and we reserved a table five days in advance. It’s in the center of touristy Coyoacán, with a beautiful view in front. But there isn’t a lot of parking available, so keep that in mind if you want to visit.
“There is a lot of work behind the dish, both from producers and cooks, as well as staff,” Camacho said. “Our intention is to not only bring our customers a pleasant experience, but to provide an experience that goes beyond food and share history through the dish. That’s what motivates us to work every day.”
When you take a bite of the traditional Chiles en Nogada, you’re not just eating a pepper; you’re tasting Mexican history. So, if you find yourself in Mexico during its season, don’t miss out on the experience!
Samantha Esquivel is a Reporter with Youth Journalism International from Matamoros, Mexico.
