Mole de guajolote is not just a traditional Mexican dish. It is a legacy from the pre-Hispanic past of our country, which remains alive today.
Mexican cuisine has the virtue of having many roots, but its main one is undoubtedly pre-Hispanic gastronomy. Recipes prepared by different Mesoamerican peoples since ancient times have survived until now. Over time they have been modified or enriched with new elements. However, there is one dish that has managed to preserve much of its essence over the centuries: mole de guajolote (turkey mole).
Mole de guajolote: The original mole recipe
Thanks to various investigations, it is now known that the true origin of mole lies in the rich cuisine of pre-Hispanic cultures. The peoples of Mesoamerica mixed various chiles with pumpkin seeds, hierba santa (a fragrant herb), and tomato to create a thick sauce. The Mexicas and other Nahua groups called it mulli, a word that, Hispanicized, we know as mole. It was usually accompanied by meat from guajolote (turkey), duck, or armadillo. This delicacy was prepared for religious ceremonies as an offering to the gods and was consumed at the subsequent festivities.
Although mole poblano was born in the convents of that city during the colonial period, this recipe definitely descended from the pre-Hispanic version. It is important to remember that indigenous women worked as cooks in those religious places. Moreover, all across what is now Mexico, there are so many types of mole that it is unlikely all originated from the colonial version of Puebla. Both historically and currently, indigenous communities prepare mole to commemorate various religious and civil celebrations. This allowed the mole de guajolote recipe to survive and be enriched with ingredients such as chocolate and other spices until today.
Preparation of mole de guajolote
In ancient times, in the Valley of Mexico, mole was prepared with guajolote or duck meat. The drying of the Texcoco lake system led this traditional dish to be made only with guajolote. More recently, to economize, it has been cooked with chicken.
However, in indigenous towns and communities, guajolote is still used. Therefore, in cities, preparing the recipe with this fowl means doing it the old-fashioned way and for particularly relevant reasons.
Conventional ingredients of mole de guajolote:
- 1 medium guajolote (turkey)
- 200 g mulato chile
- 200 g ancho chile
- 100 g pasilla chile
- 100 g almonds
- 100 g raisins
- 10 small peppercorns
- 2 green tomatoes
- 6 cloves
- 1 onion
- 5 garlic cloves
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 100 g sesame seeds
- 100 g chile seeds
- 1/2 bolillo roll and 1 tortilla from the previous day
- 2 chocolate tablets
- 200 g lard
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- Salt to taste
Preparation steps:
- Toast and remove seeds and veins from the chiles, then soak them overnight in salted water.
- Clean and wash the guajolote well, removing legs and head, then cut it into pieces and cook in plenty of water with onion, garlic, and salt. When well cooked, remove from heat.
- Brown the deveined chiles and the other ingredients except sesame, sugar, and chocolate in lard. Once fried, grind them finely.
- Fry the ground mixture in hot lard. Add the chocolate as it melts and the mole is well fried. Add broth as needed to get the desired consistency.
- Add the guajolote pieces to the mole, season with salt and sugar.
- Continue cooking on low heat, stirring constantly to prevent sticking. Serve garnished with toasted sesame seeds.
Turkey mole is undoubtedly one of the greatest gastronomic heritages from Mexico’s pre-Hispanic past. It constitutes an authentic experience of our country’s historical power and connects us with the rich cultural roots of present-day Mesoamerica. This mole is a living testimony to the culinary traditions of various indigenous peoples and communities, making it a culinary treasure that we must protect and enjoy.
