September, known as the “mes patrio” — the patriotic month — has begun. This is the month when Mexicans commemorate the consummation of our independence , which took place in 1821. During the official celebration on the 15, the president reenacts the way the independence movement began with what we call the “grito” — the cry of independence.
We also celebrate the “grito” at home , accompanied by family and friends. We dress up to look even more Mexican with sombreros, fake mustaches and braids. We drink tequila, sing Mexican songs, shout “Viva México” and, of course, eat.
We’ll discover September’s most typical dishes over the course of this month. However, I want to start with the dish that has the most fame, and that generates the most intrigue for me: chile en nogada. The dish is essentially a stuffed poblano pepper covered in a walnut sauce .
The stuffing is a mixture of beef with fruits such as apple, peach, banana and pear, along with almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, onion and garlic. Its flavor profile, combining sweet and salty, is outstanding. As a historian, I am fascinated by how official history is shaped, and I find it puzzling that chile en nogada is included in this month’s menu as the quintessential Mexican dish.
According to information from an official government page, on Aug. 28, 1821, the Augustinian nuns of the Convent of Santa Mónica in the state of Puebla welcomed the first Emperor of independent Mexico, Agustín de Iturbide.