Popularity
Mole is one of the most representative dishes of Mexico, especially for major celebrations. Ninety-nine percent of Mexicans have tried at least one type of mole. The dish enjoys its greatest popularity in central and southern Mexico, but simpler versions of mole poblano did make their way north. However, northern versions are far less complex and generally used to make enchiladas.
The consumption of mole is strongly associated with celebrations. In Mexico, to say "to go to a mole" (ir a un mole) means to go to a wedding. Mole has a strong flavor, especially the dark ones and is considered to be an acquired taste for most. This has spawned another saying, "en su mero mole", which means something like "one's cup of tea".
To promote their regional versions of the sauce, a number of places host festivals dedicated to it. The Feria Nacional del Mole (National Festival of Mole) was begun in 1977 in San Pedro Atocpan, and is held each year in October. It began outside the town, in the small community of Yenhuitlalpan, in May. The four restaurants there decided to take advantage of the festival of the Señor de las Misericordias (Lord of the Mercies) to promote their moles. Despite their success, a number in the village did not like that they were using a religious festival for commercial ends, so a separate mole festival was created for October. Today, 37 restaurants and mole producers participate in the event. The most popular variety is the mole almendrado. Originally, the October version of the fair was held in the town proper, but after it became too big, it was moved to prepared fairgrounds outside along the highway.
The city of Puebla also holds an annual mole festival, whose proceeds are shared among the Santa Rosa, Santa Inés and Santa Catarina convents. In 2005, at this festival, the world's record for largest pot of mole was broken. The pot was 1.4 meters in diameter at the base, 1.9 meters high, with a diameter of 2.5 meters at the top. Four hundred people participated in its preparation, using 800 kilos of mole paste, 2,500 kilos of chicken, 500 kilos of tortillas and 1,600 kilos of broth. The resulting food fed 11,000 people.
The women of Santa María Magdalena in Querétaro have been locally known for their mole for about 100 years. In 1993, they decided to hold a contest as to who could prepare the best. This was the beginning of the Feria del Mole y Tortilla (Mole and Tortilla Festival), which has been held every year since then. It still features a mole cook-off, and attracts hundreds of visitors from the state. One other community that holds an annual Feria de Mole in April is the community of Coatepec de Morelos in the municipality of Zitácuaro, Michoacán.
Despite its popularity within Mexico, mole is relatively unknown outside the country, even in the United States, where Mexican food is readily available. Chicago does have an annual mole festival for Mexican immigrants at the Universidad Popular community center. The event is a cooking contest which had over 40 entries, with the winner taking away US$500. Several brands of mole paste are also available in the United States and can be found online as well.
While mole has traditionally been eaten by all levels of Mexican society, especially at celebrations, the upper classes have begun to stop preparing and consuming the dish. According to one survey of upper-class housewives between 30 and 50 years of age, 95% had never cooked it from scratch. They had only eaten it at home at their children's requests after hearing about it. This is in contrast to their mothers and grandmothers for whom mole symbolized being Mexican. The dish is being less seen in the traditional celebrations, as well. The problem is that those in this stratum of society have come to prefer foreign foods. The owners of La California, a mole producer in Guanajuato, state it is harder to market regional mole in Mexico than in the exterior. They say that many in Mexico do not consider it a gourmet product, or something that can be consumed with wine. In Mexico, the preferences of the upper classes often eventually are copied in the lower classes, as well. For some, such as Lula Bertrán of the Círculo Mexicano de Arte Culinario, sees this as a warning sign for the dish.
Read more about this topic: Mole (sauce)
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