History
History
Conventual cuisine and the women who changed the gastronomy of Mexico
By Gretel Morales - 2022-09-01T13:41:19Z
Nowadays, we prepare dishes like mole as part of the weekly menu or for some celebration. And although we take such complex dishes for granted, they are actually the result of the meeting of several worlds: the Mexican guajolote was replaced by the chicken brought by Spanish colonizers, the chiles and cacao of Mexican origin merged with foreign spices like cinnamon, as well as almonds, walnuts, sesame seeds, and raisins, all brought from distant lands.
This is how Mexican cuisine as we know it today emerged, from the blend of flavors and spices from Mexico and around the world. However, the alchemical process that resulted in iconic dishes was the work of women, especially the nuns from all religious orders.
Without the creativity of the nuns, we would not enjoy delicacies today such as chile en nogada, buñuelos, mole poblano, sweet potato candy, cocadas, jamoncillo, ate, marzipan, rompope, cajeta, muéganos, and bien me sabes, among many other delights.
For Salvador Novo, the convent kitchen was responsible for shaping the gastronomic identity of our country: “in the kitchens of the convents and palaces, the mestizaje that would crystallize the opulent singularity of Mexican cuisine would slowly, sweetly gestate – as in the alcoves of the other.”
You can also read: The recipes of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
In Mexico, the convent period, the 16th and 17th centuries, was key to the gestation of culinary tradition, as the nuns were responsible for combining the flavors of two worlds to offer sumptuous feasts to the powerful, from politicians, clerics, viceroys, and even wealthy families.
It is undeniable that the kitchens of the convents became a meeting point for ingredients from both worlds: corn and flour, chocolate and sugar, spices and chiles. As for the physical space, the convent kitchen was made up of stoves, copper and clay pots, wooden ladles, Talavera tiles, metates, and mortars.
Among the most notable contributions of those holy hands are chiles en nogada, which were prepared in honor of Agustín de Iturbide, a dish worthy of any still life. However, although chiles en nogada and mole are the flagships of convent cuisine, Mexican sweets also deserve an honorary mention, as they are a testament that the Baroque also reached the kitchen.
You can also read: Abigail Mendoza, the guardian of Oaxacan flavors
In the realm of cooking, we cannot assure whether cooking all kinds of sweet and savory dishes was merely an obligation or if they truly enjoyed it, but it is undeniable that convent cooking went beyond satisfying hunger, as their famous sweets also served as currency.
The sale of sweets, preserves, rompope and cajeta was of great importance for the nuns, as it allowed them to generate sufficient income to maintain the convent and cover their clothing and food expenses. On the other hand, the nuns also used their alfeñiques, buñuelos, empanadas, chocolates, and turrones to win the favor of the powerful and secure generous donations.
You can also read: Julia Child, the legendary chef who deciphered French cuisine
It is worth mentioning that, although the nuns and their convent kitchen were key to the development of our culinary identity, we also owe much to other women. In her book Sor Juana in the kitchen, Mónica Lavín and Ana Benítez emphasize the importance of the stove as a symbol and convergence point of mestizaje, as it was there that “the products of the Old World and those of America necessarily converged in the effort to recreate some dish resembling the Spanish traditions, or with the inventiveness that the flavors, colors, and pre-Hispanic legacy of that more tropical latitude provided.”
Because, although today we talk about prodigious male chefs, Mexican cuisine was the result of the effort and imagination of indigenous women, African, criollas, and Spanish, whether from convents, plantations, or private homes.
On one hand, indigenous women incorporated the benefits of milpa into Mexican cuisine, while women of African descent, enslaved by colonizers, contributed ingredients like coconut, plantains, tamarind, and more to our culinary tradition.
This is how Mexican cuisine as we know it today emerged, from the blend of flavors and spices from Mexico and around the world. However, the alchemical process that resulted in iconic dishes was the work of women, especially the nuns from all religious orders.
Without the creativity of the nuns, we would not enjoy delicacies today such as chile en nogada, buñuelos, mole poblano, sweet potato candy, cocadas, jamoncillo, ate, marzipan, rompope, cajeta, muéganos, and bien me sabes, among many other delights.
For Salvador Novo, the convent kitchen was responsible for shaping the gastronomic identity of our country: “in the kitchens of the convents and palaces, the mestizaje that would crystallize the opulent singularity of Mexican cuisine would slowly, sweetly gestate – as in the alcoves of the other.”
You can also read: The recipes of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
It is undeniable that the kitchens of the convents became a meeting point for ingredients from both worlds: corn and flour, chocolate and sugar, spices and chiles. As for the physical space, the convent kitchen was made up of stoves, copper and clay pots, wooden ladles, Talavera tiles, metates, and mortars.
Among the most notable contributions of those holy hands are chiles en nogada, which were prepared in honor of Agustín de Iturbide, a dish worthy of any still life. However, although chiles en nogada and mole are the flagships of convent cuisine, Mexican sweets also deserve an honorary mention, as they are a testament that the Baroque also reached the kitchen.
You can also read: Abigail Mendoza, the guardian of Oaxacan flavors
The women who shaped the gastronomy of Mexico
In a sense, the convents and religious orders were a sanctuary for those women who rejected marriage and domestic life, as to some extent and after prayers, they could dedicate their time to reading, educating, embroidering, cooking, and even composing verses, as in the case of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.In the realm of cooking, we cannot assure whether cooking all kinds of sweet and savory dishes was merely an obligation or if they truly enjoyed it, but it is undeniable that convent cooking went beyond satisfying hunger, as their famous sweets also served as currency.
The sale of sweets, preserves, rompope and cajeta was of great importance for the nuns, as it allowed them to generate sufficient income to maintain the convent and cover their clothing and food expenses. On the other hand, the nuns also used their alfeñiques, buñuelos, empanadas, chocolates, and turrones to win the favor of the powerful and secure generous donations.
You can also read: Julia Child, the legendary chef who deciphered French cuisine
It is worth mentioning that, although the nuns and their convent kitchen were key to the development of our culinary identity, we also owe much to other women. In her book Sor Juana in the kitchen, Mónica Lavín and Ana Benítez emphasize the importance of the stove as a symbol and convergence point of mestizaje, as it was there that “the products of the Old World and those of America necessarily converged in the effort to recreate some dish resembling the Spanish traditions, or with the inventiveness that the flavors, colors, and pre-Hispanic legacy of that more tropical latitude provided.”
Because, although today we talk about prodigious male chefs, Mexican cuisine was the result of the effort and imagination of indigenous women, African, criollas, and Spanish, whether from convents, plantations, or private homes.
On one hand, indigenous women incorporated the benefits of milpa into Mexican cuisine, while women of African descent, enslaved by colonizers, contributed ingredients like coconut, plantains, tamarind, and more to our culinary tradition.
