Talk:Mole (sauce)

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Isn't this spelled Molé? That's how it's pronounced, anyway. Mkweise 21:45 Feb 28, 2003 (UTC)

No, it has no accent. It's pronounced MOH-leh.- Montréalais
On a side note, if English writers still used the diaeresis, it could be spelled molë and would be easily differentiated from the burrowing animal. Alas, the diaeresis has become archaic in English, and is only used in The New Yorker magazine. :) --AaronW 21:14, 11 May 2004 (UTC)

There is not one "national" dish in Mexico, as mexican cuisine is too varied for a single dish to be considered above all others. Therefore I removed the "national dish" mention. —201.138.59.115

Nonetheless, it is considered as such. Most restaurants in Mexico refer to it thusly in their menus. Tmangray 02:17, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

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[edit] Hypercorrection

Can *molé really be called hypercorrection? True, it doesn't follow Spanish rules, but an accent mark to mark what would otherwise be a silent E in English, regardless of syllabic emphasis, is fairly well established in common use (witness the insistence of many coffeeshops writing *latté), especially in marking archaic pronunciated of -ed, such as wingèd or something. I’m going to remove the assertion it’s hypercorrection. —Wiki Wikardo 01:29, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

Well, "latté" isn't right, either. And what's next, "guacamolé"? Moreover, "molé" would appear to rhyme with "olé," which is a fairly commonly known word among English speakers. But it does NOT rhyme. I think the final sentence is too permissive, but I don't feel strongly enough to edit it. 165.158.254.253 16:42, 11 January 2007 (UTC)Mexicophile

Does too rhyme

[edit] Tomatillo

Aren't tomatillos a major ingredient in mole poblano?

[edit] From Nahuatl?

I have serious doubts about the origin of the word "mole" in Nahuatl since that is a language that was spoken in pre-Columbian central Mexico whereas the "mole" sauce seems more likely to have originated in either modern Puebla or, further south, in Oaxaca.

These places are not very far from each other and Nahuatl is still spoken today. Deepstratagem 09:36, 30 December 2006 (UTC)


I too have serious doubts about the etymology of "mole".

There may be Aztec, Mayan & Nahuatal words like molli, moli etc which mean sauce or conconction but since there is already a Spanish word "moler" meaning to grind, this is the more likely earlier if not earliest derivation.

If you look at the word "pesto" it is the same. A mixture of herbs, seeds, spices etc ground in a pestle and mortar. Going back to ancient Greece and Rome and probably to ancient Egypt and India. Gracoo2

The word origin is attested in the earliest writings from colonial New Spain. Moreover, it's the etymology given by the Spanish Royal Academy, the authority on Spanish word origins. Any resemblence to the Latin-derived words related to milling is coincidental only. The reason mole and so many other words entered from Nahuatl is because it was the Aztecs that the Spanish conquered and studied first. Certainly, Nahuatl words have earlier origins, probably from other languages, but that doesn't change the fact that it was the language from which the words entered Spanish.


Incidentally, another remarkable etymological coincidence is the word for butterfly: in Nahuatl, papaloapatl, in French, papillon. Tmangray 19:49, 10 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Origin of Mole?

What is the earliest evidence of mole? Does it stem from far before the Spanish arrived in Mexico? That would aid in settling both the dispute on the origin of the word "mole", and also on the plausibility that mole poblano was invented by nuns wishing to impress visiting officials.

On that note: the version of the story that I heard (with no historical proof provided) was that indeed these nuns made mole poblano, but they actually did it not to impress but to scare off a visiting bishop whom they did not like. According to the story they ground together (moler) a strange assortment of items they found around the kitchen, including many varieties of chile, chocolate, peanut, etc., and served this sauce to the bishop. Apparently he liked it, so their plan failed but a new recipe was born. Obviously I have no idea if this is true or not, but it is a fun story. 70.19.236.121 (talk) 17:22, 16 March 2008 (UTC)