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Holy Mole! Join us at the Garza Blanca Mole Festival

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 Although it is doubtful that Batman was referring to the Mexican national dish in the 1960’s television series created by William Dozier, the heavenly status of mole is indisputable amongst Mexican food lovers. Mole could easily be described as the sauce of the gods and is a deliciously distinguishing feature of Mexican cuisine

 So what is mole anyway?

In translation, mole (pronounced Mol-ay) simply means “sauce” and comes from the indigenous Mexican language of Nahuatl, derived from the word mōlli, meaning sauce. But mole is much more than a sauce, it is a concoction with a thick velvety texture like Indian curry paste composed of a variety of ingredients, sometimes up to 100, which can take days to prepare. What distinguishes mole from other sauces like salsa is the consistency. Salsas are generally more watery, made from raw or a mixture of raw and cooked ingredients while mole’s ingredients are prepared by being roasted, boiled, grilled or toasted, forming a thicker paste.

Most people outside Mexico associate mole with the chocolate version, mole poblano, iconicized in the celebrated Laura Esquivel novel, Like Water for Chocolate. However, in Mexico, mole refers to any paste-like sauce that has been prepared from a wide range of ground ingredients usually including chili peppers, bringing forth a huge variety of different moles.

Popular Types of Moles

There are as many types of moles as there are variances in ingredients and many Mexican families will boast their own grandmother’s recipe. However, there are some types of moles that stand out and continue to be popular in restaurants and homes alike.

Poblano Mole

The famed mole poblano is made from over 20 ingredients of which chili peppers and chocolate are the key components, giving the sauce its rich texture and distinctive flavor and color. This mole originates from the Mexican state of Puebla, where some culinary historians claim this delicacy began.

Black Mole

Another popular region in Mexico for mole is Oaxaca where black mole or mole negro leads the “land of the seven moles.” This mole is very dark in color and contains a large selection of ingredients including chilis, chocolate, garlic, spices, nuts and hoja santa (root beer plant). It is the hoja santa that brings out the dark color and characteristic flavor.



Green Mole


Another Oaxacan recipe, this mole is as green as its name suggests. Its distinctive color comes from the mix of lettuce, coriander leaves, green tomatoes, and toasted pumpkin seeds amongst other ingredients and is enjoyed for its milder flavor.

The History of Mole

There are various explanations as to the true origins of mole, some of which trace its roots back to pre-hispanic times while the more accepted version is that it began following the time of the Spanish conquest in Mexico. In the pre-hispanic version, the Aztec King, Montezuma was said to have given the first Spanish conquistadores mole, with legend suggesting that mole was the food eaten by royalty and celebrated warriors.

A more popular story is that mole was invented by nuns at the Santa Rosa Convent in Puebla. When the nuns heard that the Archbishop was on his way to see them, they realized they didn’t have any decent food to offer him. Following the guidance of an angel, the nuns took all the ingredients they had, such as nuts, dried bread, peppers, cocoa etc and ground them into a sauce which they used to disguise the tough taste of an aging turkey they killed for the dinner.

Whatever the truth is behind the emergence of this distinctive delicacy, one thing is for sure – it is delicious!

Festival de Mole

Why not sample a selection of moles prepared by the Blanca Blue chef during our free Mole Festival at Garza Blanca Preserve Resort & Spa. Find out more about the free mole activity during check-in.

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