Things To Do In Mexico City: Get Upclose And Personal With Chiles en Nogada.

Mexico is a country with many different traditions and myths, most of them revolve around food which is a no brainer when you have been given touched by God with rich soils.
A huge variety of climates and landscapes and very creative and caring people who will always find a way to use the ingredients in hand.

Probably one of the most delicious traditions of the country has a lot to do with the gourmet dish Chiles en Nogada. Historical records place the birth of this uncommon dish around August 28 1821 by the Augustine Nuns of Puebla. Rumor has it that president Agustín de Iturbide was just returning to the Mexico City from the city of Cordoba where he signed the Independence Act of Mexico.

To honor president Iturbide, the nuns of the Santa Monica Convent created a dish with the resources they had: Chile Poblano, pomegranate, walnuts and parsley which convientely, have all the colors of the mexican flag – red, white and green – while chiles can be found basically all year round it is not the same case with walnut and pomegranate which are seasonal.

The recipe for this dish seems quite simple, you grill the chile poblano and then leave it to rest in a plastic bag so its easier to peel it, you cut it open and take the seeds out and then stuff it with “picadillo” which is a mixture of shredded meat, fruit and spices and then “bathed” with the walnut based cream sauce, last but not least, the dish is sprinkled with pomegranate seeds and fresh parsley.

As mouthwatering as it sounds, there is a downside to it: because it is seasonal, you can only taste it from July until de end of September which makes it a little bit expensive - around 10 to 15 bucks, so it depends on what your expectations on “expensive” are - and basically the closer you are to Mexico City and Puebla, the closer you are to getting the real deal.

This doesn´t dissappoint us by any means because we believe that one of the must things to do in Mexico City is to take a day off and visit Puebla which is only a couple of hours away from the big city, has an incredible historical center with cobblestone streets, tons of beautiful colonial buildings and churches as well as the city´s Library which is just a delight to be in. You can also have a great view of the two major volcanos of the area, the mighty Popocatepetl and the sleeping beauty or Iztaccihuatl.

The city´s cathedral has the tallest bell tower in Mexico and the nearby achaeological site of Cholula is a place you can´t miss. The Great pyramid of Tepanapa in Cholula stands as the biggest pyramid in the world today, its base is 1,480 by 1,480 ft and 4.45 million cubic meters. To give you a better idea of how huge it is, you could literally hide the Great Pyramid of Giza under the Great Pyramid of Cholula and there would be still plenty of room available.

Off course the spanish conquerors had to build something on top of the pyramid just like they did on Mexico City´s Templo Mayor so you will not only visit the olmec archaeological site but if you are confident on your stair climbing skills, you will also visit a beautiful barroque decor with wooden and golden leaf altars. The view from the church is just impressive.

Fun Fact: Did you know that the famous 5 de Mayo celebration honors the Battle of Puebla?

Well, lets hope you have an upcoming trip booked for what is left of the summer and among the things to do in Mexico City you can make some time to visit Puebla and call it for the day having a mouthwatering plate of Chiles en Nogada and then take a stroll around this quaint and historical city.