Mole Once More: The Class Issue
One objection that comes up time and again when people discuss my theory about the Islamic origins of mole poblano is this: how come, if mole was introduced by the Spaniards, it is now the celebration dish in small villages all over Mexico?
Perfectly good question. And I think there is an answer to this question. In a word, the servants.
Talking about servants is not particularly politically correct in the English-speaking world. It is a reminder of a time that we would like to forget.
Consider though. A nun in one of the well-to-do Mexican convents had perhaps six servants. The lady of the hacienda probably a whole lot more. The servants were the people who did the actual cooking with their mistress doling out the ingredients, teaching techniques, dictating the recipes, and making the final taste adjustments.
The world of the elite and the world of the village were not completely separate. They were linked by the to and fro of servants.
My suggestion is that that the servants made the high cuisine of their employers the festival cuisine of their villages. This is a very common pattern worldwide. I have no direct evidence so it’s just speculation. But it seems pretty probably to me.
