𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙈𝙀𝙓𝙄𝘾𝘼𝙉 𝙎𝙋𝙄𝘾𝙀 𝙄'𝙑𝙀 𝘾𝙍𝘼𝙑𝙀𝘿 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙊𝙑𝙀𝙍 𝙁𝙄𝙁𝙏𝙔 𝙔𝙀𝘼𝙍𝙎!

 

Just over 504 years ago Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II greeted Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortes at the entrance of Tenochtitlan as if a god, serving him the food of the gods--mole'.

Some credit nuns from a convent in Puebla with making up the concoction for a surprise visit from the archbishop, mixing xocolati or chocolate with several spices on hand.

While the city of Tlaxcala also lays claim to the origin of mole', 90% of Oaxaca is dedicated to making the ingredient in seven variations:  colorado, mole' negro, mancha mantales, verde, amarillo, chichilo and coloradito.

My first encounter with mole' was in 1966 at Linterna Verde, a noted Matamoros eatery with bird cages on the ceiling.  

Alex Guerrero

Only two people I've known even remembered the restaurant; Martin Sarkis and the late Alex Guerrero.

For at least a decade I tried various mole' recipes, but, without success and ended up simply buying the ready-made Dona Maria mole'.