Puebla is known as the home of Mole Poblano, spicy rich sauce made of chocolate, cinnamon nuts, and different types of hot chilies. Mole is frequently served over chicken.
Families traditionally make mole from well kept family recipes in November on the Day of the Dead, honoring their anchestors. Mole has bcome a staple of Pueblan cuisine throughout the year, and is a common entree in Pueblan restaurants.
Regional favorites include Camote,(cooked sweet potatoes cooked topped with creme), Rompope (liquor based on egg yolk and vanilla), Chiles en nogada (stuffed chilies with meat, fruit, and topped with walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds) and the Chalupa, a small tortilla topped chopped onion, meat and salsa. Another popular dish in Puebla is the Cemita,(a well-stuffed sandwich on a cemita bun).
Located on the road from Veracruz and Mexico City, Puebla is a melting pot of the history of Mexican. Spanish conquistadors, French Bourbons, Oriental traders all played a role in the distinctive tastes of the area. When mixed with the native ingredients from the Aztecs, Mayans and other locals, this area's cuisine is has become exceptional in its rich complexity.
Candies have an important place Puebla cuisine. Some of the most popular are the Camotes (sweet potato candy flavored with fruit - lime, strawberry, orange), Jamoncillos (a fudgey candy made from finely chopped nuts and boiled condensed milk), Bunuelos (puffy, sweet, deep-fried pastry ), Alfajores (of Spanish origin - toffee sandwiched between two corn starch cookies), Turrones (a Spanish sweet made of ground almonds), Mueganos (cookies that are either round or square and aren't too sweet), Macarrones (macaroons), Borrachitos (gummy candies spiked with alcohol), Garapinados (any variety of nut that are candy coated with a delicious molasses mix) and the spectacular Tortitas de Santa Clara, which are cookies topped sugary glaze.
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