Mole de Xico

History & Origin

Mole de Xico is one of the most singular and complex moles in Mexican gastronomy, originating from the picturesque town of Xico, in the mountainous central zone of Veracruz, about 20 kilometres from the city of Xalapa. This mole, which forms part of the intangible culinary heritage of Veracruz state, is distinguished from the great moles of central Mexico - poblano, Oaxacan negro, coloradito - by the incorporation of fried plantain as a thickener and by the predominant use of mulato and ancho chillies, which give it a unique darkness and depth of flavour. The town of Xico has a gastronomic history as rich as its cultural history: founded by the Totonac indigenous people before the Spanish arrived, the municipality preserves a tradition of popular cooks who prepare mole de Xico according to recipes transmitted orally from mothers to daughters for generations. Each family keeps its own variations in the proportions of chillies, in the amount of chocolate and in secondary ingredients - some add roasted tomato, others incorporate tabasco plantain in addition to the plantain, and some include peanuts or toasted sesame seeds. What all versions share is the ancestral technique of toasting and frying: each ingredient - chillies, spices, seeds, plantain - is toasted or fried separately before being ground together, developing flavours that only emerge through this dry-heat process. Dark chocolate tablet - specifically high-quality Xico or Xoconusco-type chocolate - contributes the bitterness that balances the sweetness of the plantain and spices. Mole de Xico is served mainly over chicken and turkey, and is the obligatory dish of the 25 July celebrations for the patron saint Santiago Apostle, when the whole town of Xico takes to the streets for a fair that includes the Jaripeo (traditional rodeo) and the famous Catrinas Parade. Being offered a pot of mole de Xico in any home in the town is an honour kept as a lifelong memory.