Pueblan cuisine: what it is, key dishes and its history

What is it?

Pueblan cuisine is the gastronomic tradition of the state of Puebla, in the central Mexican highlands, and constitutes one of the peaks of New Spanish culinary baroque. It is characterised by the deep fusion between Mesoamerican techniques and the European, Arab and Asian ingredients that arrived via the Manila trade route to Veracruz. Its most emblematic dishes — mole poblano, chiles en nogada, pipianes, cemitas, chalupas and mixiotes — are prepared both in convent kitchens and in popular markets such as El Carmen or the Sabores Poblanos market. It is consumed throughout the year, but reaches patriotic prominence in September with the chiles en nogada, a tricolour dish associated with Mexican independence.

Origin and history

Pueblan cuisine was born in the convents of the city of Puebla de los Ángeles, founded in 1531. Legend attributes to the convent of Santa Rosa, in the seventeenth century, the invention of mole poblano by Sister Andrea de la Asunción to honour the viceroy, although researchers such as Cristina Barros place its origins in a long mestizo evolution that combines the Mesoamerican chilli sauces with Asian spices (clove, cinnamon, pepper) that arrived via the Manila Galleon. The chiles en nogada are associated with the passage of the Trigarante Army through Puebla in 1821, and it is said that the Augustinian nuns of Santa Mónica created them in honour of Agustín de Iturbide. Pueblan cuisine also drew on Lebanese contributions at the beginning of the twentieth century, which gave rise to the tacos árabes and, by extension, to the tacos al pastor. UNESCO included the historic centre of Puebla on its World Heritage list in 1987, recognising the urban context in which this cuisine was born.

Characteristic ingredients

Chillies are the stars of Pueblan cuisine. The fresh poblano chilli, the base of chiles rellenos and chiles en nogada, becomes the ancho when it dries and ripens. Mole poblano combines ancho, mulato, pasilla and chipotle chillies with metate chocolate, sesame, almonds, peanuts, raisins, plantain, clove, cinnamon and more than twenty ingredients ground for hours. The green pipián contains pumpkin seed, coriander, hoja santa and serrano chilli; the red, toasted seeds with guajillo chilli. Cemitas, a sesame brioche bread, are filled with milanesa, papelo (cheese), avocado and pickled chipotle chillies. Chalupas are small fried tortillas with green or red salsa and shredded meat. The mixiote wraps adobo-marinated meat in the skin of a maguey leaf. Cheeses such as panela, papelo and goat's cheese from Chipilo enrich the repertoire. The Cholula region also contributes the traditional gorditas and molotes.

Cultural significance

Pueblan cuisine is one of the two peaks of Mexican gastronomic mestizaje, alongside the Oaxacan, and figures among the central pieces of traditional Mexican cuisine inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List in 2010. Mole poblano is a national emblem dish and is served at weddings, baptisms and patriotic celebrations. Chiles en nogada are consumed between July and September, when the pomegranate, the Castilian walnut and the fresh poblano chilli coincide, and they represent the colours of the Mexican flag. Puebla also stands out for its convent sweets — camotes, tortitas de Santa Clara, jamoncillos — a direct legacy of the Dominican and Augustinian nuns. The city has hosted the International Mole Festival, and historic restaurants such as El Mural de los Poblanos and Casa Reyna preserve centuries-old recipes. Markets and workshops keep techniques such as grinding on the metate alive.

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