Chocolate—It’s not just for Dessert!
Although many American’s think of chocolate is an ingredient used exclusively for desserts, there are a few savory dishes that traditionally include dark chocolate or cocoa powder as an ingredient. Most of these originate in Mexico or in Central or South America, where cacao beans were treated as currency and made into savory dishes before refined sugar was even invented. Because of its bitter quality and deep flavor, a small amount of chocolate can add a pleasing complexity to meat and poultry dishes.
What is Molé?
In Mexico, an entrée called “Molé Poblano de Guajalote” or “Turkey with Sauce from Puebla” is considered to be the national dish. This molé contains a small amount of chocolate. Although there is a common misconception that all molés contain chocolate, this is not the case. The word molé comes from the Nahuatl Indian word mulli, which means sauce. Molé can come in a variety of colors (red, green, and brown, for example), and can be made with a huge number of different ingredients. In fact, the Mexican province of Oaxaca prides itself on the invention of seven different types of molé. Although they vary widely in content, most molés are based on chile peppers ground up with a variety of seeds and herbs.
Molé Poblano
Molé Poblano originated in the Puebla region of Mexico. There are many stories about how Molé Poblano was invented, but none of them are credited as true. In one legend, a Puebla nun invented the dish to please a visiting archbishop. In another, the intricate sauce was invented when a woman who was cooking knocked her entire spice rack into the pot. However it came about, the dish is extremely important to Puebla people, and every year they celebrate the Festival de Molé Poblano, during which cooks bring their recipes to be rated by a panel of judges. In addition to being served during the Molé festival, Molé Poblano de Guajalote is also one of the main dishes served in Mexico at Christmas.
Making Molé Poblano
Molé Poblano consists of a mix of many different ingredients, and can take a very long time to make from scratch. In addition to the chocolate, traditional Molé Poblano recipes require ancho and pasilla chiles (among others), raisins, pumpkin seeds, almonds, and cinnamon—and these are just a few of the ingredients. One recipe calls for 19 ingredients for the sauce alone. If you’d like to try a savory dish that makes use of chocolate, but don’t want to make Molé Poblano from scratch, you can now purchase pre-made molé sauce in grocery stores and on the Internet.