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Mole (sauce)

Mole (SAMPA: /mQleI/) is a variety of sauces in Mexican cuisine. In English, it often refers to a specific sauce more properly called "mole poblano".

The word mole comes from the Nahuatl word mulli, which simply means "sauce". In Mexico the word is used for a number of sauces, some quite dissimilar.

The most popular kinds come from the Mexican states of Puebla and Oaxaca, and there is an annual national mole fair in the town of San Pedro Actopan in the Milpa Alta borough of Mexico's Federal District, on the southern outskirts of Mexico City.

Mole poblano, whose name comes from the Mexican state of Puebla, is very popular in Mexico. Mole poblano is prepared with chilis, spices, unsweetened chocolate, and a variety of other ingredients. Various stories exist about its invention, but none are generally accepted. Mexico's national dish is mole poblano de guajalote, or turkey prepared with mole poblano.

Mole is often used to prepare chicken- or cheese-filled enchiladas; it is also frequently ladled over chicken, rice, or chipped potatoes.

Mole can be bought ready-made from local markets or supermarkets. It comes as a kind of paste or powder that can vary in colour from deep black to green or even yellow depending on the ingredients used. In modern supermarkets and corner-shops mass-produced mole is sold — either canned, in glass jars, or in cubes that can be dissolved in water.

The accented form molé, occasionally seen in English, is an error of hypercorrection, as the accent in mole is on the 'o', and no accent mark is needed in Spanish. This is probably done to emphasise the fact that the final 'e' is pronounced and to differentiate the sauce from the well-known burrowing mammal, the mole.


Last updated: 02-07-2005 15:26:15
Last updated: 05-01-2005 16:30:51