The city of Puebla, which is located about two hours to the east of Mexico City, is considered one of the culinary capitals of Mexico. A number of the country's most famous recipes were created in the kitchens of its colonial convents.
I read a very favorable review about a new restaurant in Mexico City called "Angelopolitano". The restaurant specializes in dishes from Puebla, and the tongue-twisting name of the place is a reference to Puebla's nickname, "the City of Angels".
Alejandro and I went there for supper last night, and for the second night in a row, had a superb dining experience. Alejandro began with "sopa de flor de calabaza"... squash blossom soup.
I had the tortilla soup. Both soups were delicious.
For our main course we both ordered one of the masterpieces of Mexican cuisine, and my favorite Mexican dish... "chiles en nogada". The story goes that the nuns of one of Puebla's convents invented this dish to serve to Emperor Agustín de Iturbide when he visited the city. (Iturbide was an unscrupulous military officer who had himself declared emperor shortly after Mexico won its independence from Spain.) The colors of the dish are those of the Mexican flag... green, white, and red. A
green poblano pepper is stuffed with a mixture of shredded meat, fruit and nuts. The pepper is covered with a
white cream walnut sauce. It is then garnished with
red pomegranate seeds. This sweet and savory dish is so completely different from the American stereotype of Mexican cuisine. We both agreed that the "chiles" were excellent and that "Angelopolitano" is on our list of restaurants to visit again!
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