After two years of suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this Saturday the National Mole Fair of the town of San Pedro Atocpan was inaugurated in the Milpa Alta mayor’s office. It has twenty-four restaurants and a dozen exhibitors selling different styles of mole in bulk.
The National Moles Fair is installed next to the Momoxco stadium, at kilometer 17.5 of the Xochimilco-Oaxtepec highway. In addition to the delicious traditional Mexican dish, honey, ceramics, bread, pulque, ice cream, amaranth, jewelry and other local crafts are also offered.
As is tradition, the fair has mechanical games and two artistic forums for cultural presentations. The National Mole Fair will conclude on October 23.
More about the National Mole Fair and San Pedro Atocpan
The mass It is one of the most traditional dishes in Mexico, with a wide variety of styles and ways of preparing it. Its origin can be traced back to pre-Hispanic times, when chili sauces called mulli were prepared. Since then, the mole recipes have been updated and complex recipes have been generated that vary from region to region. With the aim of honoring and celebrating this delicious dish, the Mole Fair has been held since 1979 in San Pedro Atocpan, Mexico City.
It is a gastronomic event that is celebrated in San Pedro Atocpan of the Milpa Alta mayor’s office. The town is known for dedicating itself to the preparation of mole, activity on which 90% of the community depends and which supplies most of the mole consumed in Mexico City.
Unlike industrial moles, the San Pedro Atocpan mole is still made in a traditional way in family homes, preserving classic recipes that date back to the New Spain era. The specialty of the town is the almond-shaped mole, which was born there and is made with approximately 26 to 28 ingredients. Each family keeps its own secret recipe, which is passed down from generation to generation.
Milpa Alta is part of 59% of the rural territory of Mexico City, a forgotten aspect of the Mexican capital. Until 70 years ago, the population of San Pedro was only dedicated to peasant activities. At that time, only four neighborhoods prepared mole for local festivals: Panchimalco, Ocotitla, Nuztla and Tula. In the 1940s, a family had the idea of selling mole in the La Merced market, an activity in which they were successful. Little by little, the entire community began to market the mole throughout the city, becoming the main distributor in Mexico City. Current production is between 28,000 and 30,000 tons of mole per year.
A tradition that honors a dish with pre-Hispanic origin
The National Mole Fair began to be held in 1977 as an initiative of the then sub-delegate Leonel Cordero Vega. The objective of the celebration is to publicize the varieties of mole that are prepared in San Pedro Atocpan. Initially it was celebrated with only four producers in the neighborhood of Yenhuitlalpan or San Martín, and it coincided with the Feast of the Lord of Mercy in May, since San Pedro has a temple dedicated to that dedication.
Because the population did not accept that the religious festival became a commercial event, a short time later the mole festival was moved to the month of October and elements such as live music, mechanical games, fireworks, etc. were added. Currently, about half a million dishes are prepared during the event, 2,600 people participate in the service and about 100 artisans. During the Mole Fair, all kinds of varieties are offered: almond-shaped, green mole, Oaxacan style, black mole, red mole, with turkey, with chicken or rabbit.
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Rodrigo Osegueda Philosopher by training. Contemplate the soul and imagination of Mexico.