The molcajete is still part of our Mexican identity and culture; We could say that it is a basic kitchen utensil in almost all Mexican homes.

According to the National Institute of Anthropology and History, the term “molcajete” comes from the Nahuatl words: mollicaxtli and temolcaxitl, meaning “cajete for salsa” or “cajete de piedra para el mole”.
The molcajete is nothing more than a mortar made of stone, mainly volcanic, which is carved in a concave shape and in which spices, grains and vegetables are crushed or ground in small quantities.

This type of mortar has been used in the preparation of food since the pre-Hispanic era and its origins were dug into a rock as a hole to grind corn and other nuts.
With the tejolote or molcajete stone, chiles, salt, garlic and tomatoes are crushed.

Archaeologists claim that the first thing that was used was the metate with a similar purpose, but over time it evolved into this mortar.

The enormously diversified world of chiles, the poblano has long been considered one of the tastiest, most attractive and widely used of the capsicum family. A staple of Mexican home and restaurant cooking, the poblano has, in recent years, been fondly adopted into the family of favorite vegetables north of the border.

Although poblano chiles are now available throughout the year, they are truly in season during the summer, when they flood Mexican and foreign markets. Beginning this month, and reaching a peak in August and September, the rainy season harvest yields an abundance of these mild-to-hot, and amazingly versatile, chiles.

Characterized by the thick skin which makes them ideal for stuffing, poblanos were being used in the cuisine of the area around Puebla, for which they are named, when the Spaniards arrived in the sixteenth century. The nuns of the Colonial era were responsible for incorporating poblanos and other chiles into the diet of New Spain. The famous chiles en nogada , generally considered to be Mexico’s national dish, is a classic example of Creole cooking, combining the New World native poblano chile with European filling ingredients. Created in a Puebla convent to honor a visiting archbishop, this central Mexican specialty is indispensible in celebrating Independence Day in September and was, for many years, the traditional comida for the feast of San Agustín in August.