Deep, complex sauces for fiestas, convents and Sundays

Central Mexico, especially Puebla and its convent traditions, is globally associated with mole poblano and other elaborate moles. These sauces combine dried chiles, nuts, seeds, spices, fruit—and sometimes chocolate—into a labor-intensive paste that’s traditionally served over turkey or chicken. Dishes like mole poblano, mole pipián (pumpkin-seed based), and festive adobos are the centerpiece of weddings, baptisms and important family gatherings. This is also the natural home for chiles en nogada, arguably the most emblematic Central Mexican festival dish: poblano chiles stuffed with sweet-savory picadillo, covered with walnut sauce and pomegranate to echo the Mexican flag. Many other “feast plates” orbit these sauces—enchiladas (suizas, poblanas), pollo encacahuatado (peanut-sauce chicken), and richer holiday stews.