Mole

Mole is a Nahuatl word for a sauce or mixture containing chilli and, sometimes, chocolate. Mole Poblano de Guajalote – turkey with poblano mole sauce – is probably the most celebrated and complex of these, and a rich dish served at Mexican wedding feasts and other grand occasions. The original 17th-century recipe called for more than 100 ingredients and, though the present-day version is more restrained, it is still a far from simple dish, for it includes (three kinds of) chillies, tomatoes, garlic, almonds, peanuts, cloves, cinnamon, aniseed and raisins. Pieces of unsweetened chocolate are beaten into the sauce towards the end of cooking and this has the effect of thickening it while giving a rich flavour and a dark glossy finish.