There is absolutely no evidence proving turkey was served at the first Thanksgiving in the U.S. There is ,however, ample reason to believe the turkey, one of two birds domesticated prior the the arrival of the Spanish, was first served as the centerpiece of a celebratory meal in mexico.
There have, over the years, been nearly 40 words used for turkey throughout Mexico. Dr. Lawrence B. Kiddle still found twenty-one in existence when in 1941 he wrote, “The Names for Turkey in the Modern mexican Dialect”. This did not even account for the additional six words used by the Zapotecs of southern Mexico. Eskimos don’t have this many words for snow, though they have no shortage of it, even in these days of global warming.
The Aztecs regarded the turkey as near magical; they associated it with their trickster god, Tezcatlipoca. Every 200 days the streets of present Mexico City, were paved with the shells of turkey eggs hatched during the previous 200 days. Motolinia, in his book “History of the Indians of New Spain” tells of a single surburban market in Tenochtitlan, Tepeyacac, that sold 8000 turkeys every five days.
So, if Thanksgiving is a holiday you celebrate, you should also give thanks to the people of Campeche for a delicious dish to help you use that leftover bird. Whether you call it pavo, guajolote, totole or Tom Turkey this recipe, special thanksgiving shoutout to Karen Graber for providing this simple preperation of a classic dish, will provide one more reason to visit beautiful Mexico or at least bring a little bit of Mexico home before your next trip.
Chilmole: Turkey in a Dark Spice Sauce
Chilmole – sometimes called relleno negro – is made from one of the classic recados, or seasoning combinations. This dish, said to have originated in Campeche, is eaten all over the Yucatan peninsula, especially around Christmas and the New Year, when there is an abundance of leftover holiday turkey. It is a nice change from the usual round of enchiladas, tacos, tostadas, and other leftover turkey dishes. Make the recado now, and freeze it for use during the busy holiday season.
You don’t have to tell anyone how easy it is.
For the recado:
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons achiote seeds
- 3/4 cup bitter orange juice (or a mixture of sweet orange juice and fresh lime juice)
- 2 lbs. dried ancho chiles, seeded and deveined
- 2 large whole cloves
- 4 large whole allspice
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 head garlic, peeled (about 10 large cloves)
- salt to taste
Preparation:
Place the achiote seeds in a small bowl, pour the juice over them, and allow to soak 2-3 hours.
Toast the chiles just until they give off their fragrance, soak them in hot water until they soften, and drain them well.
Place all ingredients in a spice mill or food processor and process until they are well blended. They should form a thick paste, the consistency of a chilled cookie dough.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
For the chilmole:
Ingredients:
- 6 cups leftover cooked turkey, skinned and boned
- 8 cups turkey or chicken broth
- 2 oz. recado negro (above)
- 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
Preparation:
Heat the turkey in the broth.
Mix the recado with a bit of broth to dissolve it, add it to the turkey and broth, and cook to desired consistency. (It usually has the texture of a medium-thin mole.) serve in bowls, garnished with hard-boiled egg slices.
Slices of a homemade pork sausage called but are sometimes served as an additional garnish, but the dish is rich enough without it.
Accompany with plenty of hot tortillas.
