Chile en Nogada

The Mexican land is very fertile. In Mexico there are many seasonal dishes, one of the most representative is the Chile en Nogada (chili in fresh walnut salsa) originally from Puebla´s valley due to at the foothills of Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl volcanoes the ingredients necessary for its preparation are harvested during the rainy season.

To talk about the ingredients is to talk about fusion. The convents and kitchens of Puebla were the place where the following converged: Poblano chilis, fresh walnut (nuez de Castilla), pera lechera (lechera pear), manzana panochera (panochera apple), Creole peach, plantain, pork, tomato, raisins, almonds, egg, clove, cinnamon, pork fat, garlic, onion, salt and sugar.

The poblano chili is prepared in a special way. It is placed on a comal (griddle) or directly onto the fire to burn the skin and make it softer in a process called "tatemado" (grilling),
Once toasted, the skin is removed and then it is cut to remove the seeds and veins that cause itching.

There are records that in the 16th century, dishes to be prepared in walnut salsa which also received the description of nogada (fresh walnut salsa). The ingredients of the walnut salsa are: Fresh walnut, goat's cheese, almonds, milk, sherry, sugar and salt to taste. The recenty harvest walnut (nuez de Castilla) is fresh; its skin must be removed due to its bitter taste.

It is said that the Chiles en Nogada were served to Don Agustín de Iturbide, on August 28th, 1821, during his visit to the city of Puebla de los Ángeles as head of the Trigarante army. The nuns of the convents of the city were in charge of presenting a dish that integrated the colors of the trigarante flag: white, green and red, achieving this with nogada, parsley and pomegranate.