The below article is courtesy of Florelisa Hernandez of the restaurant Frascati in Riviera Nayarit.

www.frascativallarta.comChiles en Nogada are, without a question, one of the most representative dishes of the Mexican Cuisine; popular tradition links them to an important event of Mexican history and they are also a delicious reminder of the colors of the Mexican flag.

 Popular tradition says that in August 1821, when Emperor Agustin de Iturbide signed the Cordoba Treaty (the document in which the Spanish Crown agreed to the Independence of New Spain (Mexico), on his way back to the capital, he stopped in Puebla to have a special celebration of his “Santo”, (the celebration of the saint that shares the name of the person, in this case St. Agustin).

 In Puebla the Augustinian nuns (very famous for their culinary abilities) prepared a very special dish for the happy occasion, Chiles en Nogada.

 Since then, the dish is linked to Puebla, to the rainy season and the Independence of Mexico. It is well known that the ingredients, found in the poblano region, (like pecans from Calpan, apples from Zacatlan, pear and apricot from Huejotzingo, pomegranate from Tehuacan, and poblano chili from San Martin Texmelucan), are at their best during the months of august and September.

 

The name means Chile topped with pecan sauce (Nogada).The dish is a class of stuffed chile, made of green poblano chili stuffed with cooked ground meat, seeds and dried and fresh fruit.

It is served cold and topped with a slightly sweet pecan sauce, the decoration is made of pomegranate and parsley leaves it has a sweet and sour taste and it is not hot at all.

 

As a token of gratitude to Mexican hospitality, Frascati Ristorante pays homage to the best of the culinary traditions of Mexico, and wants to share them with you.