The Moles of Oaxaca: Beyond Black and Red

Oaxaca: the land of the seven moles

When someone says "mole" outside Mexico, they almost always mean mole poblano or Oaxacan mole negro: dark, dense sauces with chocolate and dozens of ingredients. But reducing the universe of mole to these two versions is like saying wine is only red. In Oaxaca, tradition recognises seven canonical moles, each with its personality, its ingredients and its occasion.

Beyond these seven, every town, every family, every cook has their own variations. It is estimated that there are more than 200 versions of mole in the state of Oaxaca alone. Some are festive and elaborate, others everyday and simple. Some have 30 ingredients, others barely 8. What they all share is the philosophy of mole: the harmonious mixture of chillies, spices and techniques that creates something greater than the sum of its parts.

In this article we explore the seven Oaxacan moles and several more that rarely leave the kitchens of Oaxaca, with tips for recreating them in Spain.

The seven canonical moles of Oaxaca

1. Mole negro: the ceremonial king

Mole negro is the most complex and the most revered. It is the mole served at weddings, christenings, quinceañeras and funerals. Its preparation can take three full days and uses up to 34 different ingredients.

What distinguishes it from other dark moles is the use of the chilhuacle negro chilli, a chilli exclusive to Oaxaca that is not grown anywhere else in the world. Its flavour is deep, with notes of tobacco, prune and a bitter touch that gives the mole its characteristic complexity.

Other key ingredients include Oaxacan chocolate, fried plantain, toasted egg bread, burnt tortilla (yes, deliberately charred), multiple dried chillies, spices and herbs. The burnt tortilla is the secret ingredient that gives it that intense black colour and a unique smoky flavour.

In Spain: The chilhuacle chilli is almost impossible to find. The closest alternative is a mix of ancho chilli with a little pasilla chilli and a pinch of bitter cocoa powder. It will not be an authentic mole negro, but it will capture part of its spirit.

2. Mole rojo: the accessible festive one

Less complex than the black but equally celebratory. It uses ancho and guajillo chillies as a base, tomato, almonds, raisins, cinnamon and chocolate. It is sweeter and more accessible than the black, and it is the mole that many Oaxacan families prepare when they want something special without investing three days.

This mole is the easiest to recreate in Spain because all its ingredients are found relatively easily in Latin American shops and supermarkets.

3. Mole coloradito: the elegant one

The coloradito is a brick-red mole, lighter and more refined than the black or the red. Its base is ancho chillies with tomato, garlic, Oaxacan oregano and a touch of chocolate. The key difference is that it has fewer ingredients and is cooked for less time, resulting in a cleaner, more defined flavour.

It is the mole that Oaxacan grandmothers make during the week - when there is time to cook something special but not for a three-day mole. It is traditionally served with chicken and a little toasted sesame on top.

4. Mole amarillo: the versatile unknown

Perhaps the most underrated of the seven moles. Mole amarillo has no chocolate and no nuts - its flavour comes from the costeño amarillo and chilhuacle amarillo chillies, cumin, clove, pepper and hoja santa. Its golden-orange colour is unmistakable.

It is a lighter mole, almost like a thick sauce, used to bathe empanadas, stuffed chayotes, bean tamales and various vegetable stews. It is the most versatile of the seven and the one that works best with vegetable ingredients.

In Spain: Substitute the Oaxacan chillies with guajillo and a little sweet paprika. Hoja santa can be approximated with a mix of basil and fresh aniseed.

5. Mole verde: the fresh and herbaceous one

Oaxacan mole verde is completely different from Puebla's mole verde. It contains hoja santa, epazote, green chillies, pumpkin seeds, lettuce and coriander. The result is a vibrant, fresh mole, with an intense herbaceous flavour and a deep green colour.

It is traditionally served with pork or chicken and is especially popular during the rainy season, when the herbs are at their best. It is the mole that works best in summer because of its freshness.

6. Manchamanteles: the tropical sweet one

The name says it all: "tablecloth-stainer" because its intense red-orange colour stains any cloth it touches. It is a sweet-and-sour mole that combines ancho and guajillo chillies with pineapple, plantain, apple and sweet potato. It is the bridge between sweet and savoury, the mole that defies categories.

It is served with pork or chicken and is a celebration dish that surprises whoever tries it for the first time. All the ingredients are found easily in Spain, making it one of the most accessible to recreate.

7. Chichilo: the dark and mysterious one

The chichilo is the rarest and least known of the seven moles. It is a black-grey mole made with chilhuacle chilli, miltomate (wild tomatillo) and tortilla ash. Yes, ash. The tortilla is burnt completely until it turns to charcoal, ground and incorporated into the mole, giving it its unique colour and a mineral, earthy, almost primal flavour.

It is made with beef and marrow bone, and its flavour is intense and complex. It is a winter mole, comforting and powerful. Outside Oaxaca it is practically unknown.

Beyond the seven: Oaxacan moles few people know

Mole de caderas (goat)

The mole de caderas or huasmole is made exclusively during the goat-slaughter season in the Oaxacan Mixteca (October to November). It uses the hips and spine of the goat, cooked with costeño chillies, white beans, green beans and herbs of the region. It is a ceremonial dish with centuries of tradition.

Mole de piedra

Originally from the Sierra Norte, mole de piedra is made literally on a volcanic stone heated over the fire. The ingredients are ground on a metate and cooked by pouring broth over the burning stone. The result has a unique smoky, mineral flavour. It is primitive cooking in its purest form.

Oaxacan mole de olla

Different from the mole de olla of central Mexico, the Oaxacan version is a lighter broth with pasilla and de árbol chillies, chayote, green beans, corn and xoconostle (sour prickly pear). It is everyday food, the day-to-day mole.

Tips for making Oaxacan mole in Spain

The key to a good mole, whatever the variation, is these fundamental principles:

• Toast each ingredient separately: Chillies, spices, seeds, tomatoes - everything is toasted individually to develop specific flavours before combining.
• Do not rush: A mole is not made in an hour. Good moles need slow cooking for the flavours to integrate.
• Grind fine: Use a powerful blender and pass the sauce through a sieve to eliminate lumps. The texture of the mole should be velvety.
• Season gradually: Add salt and sugar at the end, little by little, tasting constantly. Balance is everything.

"In Oaxaca every family has its mole recipe, and every recipe is the right one. Mole is not measured - it is felt." - Oaxacan saying

Explore our Mexican recipes to find versions adapted to make in Spain, and visit our directory of Mexican restaurants where some Oaxacan chefs prepare these moles with ingredients imported directly from Oaxaca. You can also find dried chillies and mole paste in our recommended Mexican shops.