Ah, the prestigious and renowned chiles en nogada—Poblano peppers stuffed with a sweet mixture of meat, fruits, and spices, cloaked in a velvety nogada, and adorned with red pomegranate seeds and green leaves of fresh parsley—are the most awaited dish in central Mexico from late July to late September.

Have you ever wondered about the history of the chiles en nogada and how they became the centerpiece of the feast to celebrate September 15? If so, keep reading to learn a bit more about their history.

Chiles en nogada, a dish full of history

It is said that the Augustinian nuns living in the Convent of Santa Mónica in Puebla presented this delicious dish to the general of the Mexican Army, Agustín de Iturbide, in celebration of both the Independence of Mexico from Spain and the day of Saint Augustine, on August 28, 1821.



However, Mexican historian Guadalupe Pérez San Vicente asserts that chiles en nogada date back to the 18th century, as the first recipe for this dish appears in the cookbook La típica cocina poblana y los guisos de sus religiosas by Salazar Monroy.

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The original dish was a kind of dessert made with the best products of the end-of-season harvest: poblano peppers, creole peaches, pear apples, panochera apples, and California walnuts grown in Calpan, Puebla.



At that time, poblano peppers were commonly stuffed, breaded, and fried in the style of baroque culinary fashion, while the nogada, which was a silky sauce made from walnuts, was usually poured over different types of meat.

Over the years, hand-chopped pork was incorporated into the filling of the chiles en nogada, so this dish ceased to be categorized as a dessert and became an iconic main course.

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Today, chiles en nogada may or may not be breaded, ground beef may replace pork, and cream cheese may reduce the amount of walnuts used in the nogada.

Every family in Mexico has made the recipe for chiles en nogada their own and, in turn, has created their own version of this delicious dish full of flavor and tradition.

Whether this iconic dish first appeared in history during such an emblematic period or was created much earlier, chiles en nogada are a celebration of Mexico in its entirety: the green parsley, the white nogada, and the red pomegranate seeds showcase the colors of our country's flag in a patriotic homage that is enjoyed in our country year after year.

Would you like to prepare chiles en nogada this season? Here are some recipes so you can enjoy this historical dish:

Classic chiles en nogada

Chiles en nogada without batter

Economic chiles en nogada