Manchamanteles: what it is and what's in the fruity mole

What is it?

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

Origin and history

Manchamanteles is one of the most representative moles of New Spanish baroque cooking, developed during the 17th and 18th centuries in the convents and noble kitchens of Puebla and Oaxaca. Its origin is usually attributed to the Dominican or Augustinian nuns, who are said to have combined the pre-Hispanic base of the 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 appears documented in New Spanish recipe books of the 18th century 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 cooking. It forms part of Traditional Mexican Cuisine, UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity 2010. It is one of the most studied moles as an example of the mestizo culinary fusion of the colonial period.

Characteristic ingredients

The traditional recipe for manchamanteles combines ancho chilli, mulato chilli and guajillo chilli, which are toasted without burning and rehydrated. They are ground with roasted red and green tomatoes, onion, garlic, almonds, sesame, fried bread or tortilla, cinnamon, clove, pepper and cumin. The distinctive feature: fresh diced fruit is incorporated, such as ripe pineapple, fried plantain, apple and peach (in season), which provide sweetness, freshness and complexity. Some versions add sweet potato or jicama. The paste is fried in lard or vegetable oil, then diluted with chicken or pork broth and cooked slowly so the fruit integrates and releases its juice. The consistency should be thick, glossy and with visible pieces of fruit. Regional variants: in Puebla a version with more apple and pear is preferred; in Oaxaca it carries more pineapple; in some Veracruz versions additional ripe dominico plantain is added. The dish is notable for balancing sweet, spicy, sour and spiced simultaneously in every spoonful.

Cultural significance

Manchamanteles is one of the most representative moles of New Spanish baroque cooking and an emblematic dish of viceregal culinary fusion. 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 cooking. 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 declined in favour of simpler moles, it persists at large family celebrations: weddings, christenings, Christmas posadas and Sunday meals in traditional families of south-central Mexico. It forms part of Traditional Mexican Cuisine, UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity 2010. It economically sustains producers of ancho and mulato chilli from the Bajío and Puebla, fruit producers (pineapple, plantain, apple) and traditional cooks in markets such as Sabores de Puebla.

Frequently asked questions

Why is it called manchamanteles?

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

What fruit does manchamanteles contain?

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

What does manchamanteles taste like?

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

Where does manchamanteles come from?

It is native to New Spanish baroque cooking 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 cooking; the Oaxacan one forms part of the seven traditional Oaxacan moles of the Zapotec-mestizo recipe book.