Express Your Love for Mexican Food With Chiles En Nogada

By Catering Staff | December 17, 2016

Say “chiles en nogada” and the first thing that will come to mind is its status as the most patriotic dish of Mexico. This isn’t surprising as the dish features the colors of the Mexican flag!

It’s the Colors of a Nation

Chiles en nogada appears simple when presented but its preparation requires culinary skills learned since childhood, perhaps while watching the grandmothers and mothers prepare it in home kitchens. But Mexican-themed restaurants in the United States are said to offer it, too, which means faster satisfaction for food cravings.

Basically, it is stuffed chile with creamy walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds – truly, a delicious treat that deserves to be part of world cuisine. The stuffing consists of several types of dried fruits including appeal, pear and peach, as well as spices, nuts, and pork. The walnut sauce adds a cold sensation to the stuffed chile, which should be served at room temperature.

The result: A scrumptious dish with the perfect balance between spicy and sweet, as well as combined with savory and creamy. The contrasts in texture between the stuffing adds to the great dining experience.

It’s in the Name

The name “chiles en nogado” already evokes its ingredients. Chiles, of course, refers to the beloved spicy chilies and nogal means walnut in Spanish. When literally translated, it means “chilies in walnuts”.

Aside from the name and colors, chiles en nogado is considered a patriotic dish for another reason. You will find Mexican restaurants of all shapes and sizes offering the iconic dish before and during the fiestas patrias, the event marking Mexico’s independence from Spain.

You may even be able to order it for catered events from Mexican-themed restaurants, such as Baja Fresh. But you will most likely find it in homes on September 15-16 every year. This is a seasonal dish that you can also prepare at home although patience is necessary, no thanks to its time-intensive preparation.

There are many theories about the origin of the chiles en nogada. According to one theory, a group of Augustinian nuns prepared a special dish in honor of Agustín de Iturbide in 1810. Since the nuns only had meat, raisin-stuffed poblano chile, dried fruits, parsley, pomegranate seeds, and creamy walnut sauce, they put their culinary skills and voila! The chiles en nogada was born.

Enough of the talk. You should contact your favorite Mexican-themed restaurant and ask them about the availability of the chiles en nogada today.