Why is it called manchamanteles?

Its name comes from the dish's best-known feature: its intense red colour indelibly stains the tablecloths if spilt. It is a culinary joke that has been consolidated as the dish's official name. In old 19th-century recipe books the dish appears as 'mancha manteles' or 'mancha-manteles', later being unified as a single word in most contemporary texts.

Which fruits does manchamanteles contain?

The traditional fruits are ripe pineapple, fried plantain, apple and peach in season. Some versions add pear, sweet potato or jícama. Pineapple brings fruity acidity, plantain gives sweetness and body, apple adds crunch and freshness. The specific combination varies according to region and family, but pineapple and plantain are considered obligatory for an authentic manchamanteles.

What does manchamanteles taste like?

It is a baroque mole that combines fruity sweetness (pineapple, plantain, apple), moderate heat from dried chillies (ancho and mulato), acidity from tomato and the spiced aroma of cinnamon, clove and pepper. The result is complex, festive and indulgent, with tropical notes and mestizo viceregal kitchen character. Each spoonful balances sweet, spicy, sour and spiced, characteristic of 18th-century New Spain baroque cuisine.

Where does manchamanteles come from?

It is native to the New Spain baroque cuisine developed in the convents and noble kitchens of Puebla and Oaxaca during the 17th and 18th centuries. Both Puebla and Oaxaca claim its authorship, and both culinary traditions consider it an emblematic dish. The Puebla version is associated with convent cuisine; the Oaxacan one forms part of the seven traditional Oaxacan moles of the Zapotec-mestizo recipe book.

Back to guides

Manchamanteles: the fruity mole with pineapple and plantain from Puebla and Oaxaca

What is it?

Manchamanteles, also known as mole manchamanteles, is a Mexican baroque mole characterised by including fresh fruits (pineapple, plantain, apple, peach and sometimes pear) along with the classic base of dried chillies (ancho, mulato, guajillo) and spices. Its name comes from the fact that its intense red colour indelibly stains the tablecloths if spilt, a famous feature that gave rise to the popular term. It is traditionally prepared in Puebla and Oaxaca, where it forms part of the mestizo baroque culinary repertoire developed during the colonial period. It is one of the most festive and sweet moles in the Mexican recipe book, considered a viceregal banquet dish. It is traditionally served with chicken or pork, although it can also be prepared with turkey or duck. Its flavour combines fruity sweetness, moderate heat from the dried chillies and the spiced aroma of cinnamon, clove and pepper. It is ideal for festive tables with many guests: weddings, baptisms, Christmas posadas and Sunday family meals.

Origin and history

Manchamanteles is one of the most representative moles of New Spain baroque cuisine, developed during the 17th and 18th centuries in the convents and noble kitchens of Puebla and Oaxaca. Its origin is usually attributed to Dominican or Augustinian nuns, who would have combined the pre-Hispanic base of molli with tropical fruits newly arrived in New Spain (pineapple, plantain) or reacclimatised (apple, peach, pear) and Asian spices brought by the Nao de China from the Philippines. The dish is documented in 18th-century New Spain recipe books and in the 'Nuevo cocinero mexicano' of 1858. Although popular versions attribute its invention to Sor Andrea de la Asunción in Puebla, historians such as Cristina Barros and Marco Buenrostro indicate that it is a collective development of viceregal baroque cuisine. It is part of Traditional Mexican Cuisine, UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity 2010. It is one of the most studied moles as an example of mestizo culinary fusion of the colonial period.

Characteristic ingredients

The traditional manchamanteles recipe combines ancho, mulato and guajillo chillies, which are toasted without burning and hydrated. They are ground with roasted tomato and green tomato, onion, garlic, almonds, sesame, fried bread or tortilla, cinnamon, clove, pepper and cumin. What is distinctive: fresh fruits are incorporated in cubes such as ripe pineapple, fried plantain, apple and peach (in season), which bring sweetness, freshness and complexity. Some versions add sweet potato or jícama. The paste is fried in pork lard or vegetable oil, then diluted with chicken or pork broth and slowly cooked so that the fruits integrate and release their juices. The consistency should be thick, shiny and with visible pieces of fruit. Regional variants: in Puebla, more apple and pear are preferred; in Oaxaca it has more pineapple; in some Veracruz versions, additional ripe Dominico plantain is added. The dish is notable for simultaneously balancing sweet, spicy, sour and spiced in every spoonful.

Cultural significance

Manchamanteles is one of the most representative moles of New Spain baroque cuisine and an emblematic dish of viceregal culinary mestizaje. It appears on the menus of traditional restaurants in Puebla (El Mural de los Poblanos, Casareyna) and Oaxaca (Casa Oaxaca, Las Quince Letras), where it is offered as an example of historic Mexican cuisine. SECTUR includes it in tourist promotions of Puebla and Oaxaca as a distinctive gastronomic product. Although its preparation is laborious and its everyday consumption has decreased in favour of simpler moles, it persists in large family celebrations: weddings, baptisms, Christmas posadas and Sunday meals in traditional families of central-southern Mexico. It is part of Traditional Mexican Cuisine, UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity 2010. It economically supports producers of ancho and mulato chillies from the Bajío and Puebla, fruit producers (pineapple, plantain, apple) and traditional cooks in markets such as Sabores de Puebla.

Related recipes

Now that you know what it is, try cooking it at home with our step-by-step recipes:

Ingredients to cook it

Find where to buy authentic ingredients in Mexican shops in the US:

Frequently asked questions

Why is it called manchamanteles?: Its name comes from the dish's best-known feature: its intense red colour indelibly stains the tablecloths if spilt. It is a culinary joke that has been consolidated as the dish's official name. In old 19th-century recipe books the dish appears as 'mancha manteles' or 'mancha-manteles', later being unified as a single word in most contemporary texts.
Which fruits does manchamanteles contain?: The traditional fruits are ripe pineapple, fried plantain, apple and peach in season. Some versions add pear, sweet potato or jícama. Pineapple brings fruity acidity, plantain gives sweetness and body, apple adds crunch and freshness. The specific combination varies according to region and family, but pineapple and plantain are considered obligatory for an authentic manchamanteles.
What does manchamanteles taste like?: It is a baroque mole that combines fruity sweetness (pineapple, plantain, apple), moderate heat from dried chillies (ancho and mulato), acidity from tomato and the spiced aroma of cinnamon, clove and pepper. The result is complex, festive and indulgent, with tropical notes and mestizo viceregal kitchen character. Each spoonful balances sweet, spicy, sour and spiced, characteristic of 18th-century New Spain baroque cuisine.
Where does manchamanteles come from?: It is native to the New Spain baroque cuisine developed in the convents and noble kitchens of Puebla and Oaxaca during the 17th and 18th centuries. Both Puebla and Oaxaca claim its authorship, and both culinary traditions consider it an emblematic dish. The Puebla version is associated with convent cuisine; the Oaxacan one forms part of the seven traditional Oaxacan moles of the Zapotec-mestizo recipe book.