Source: Aeromexico
In honor of Mexico’s Independence Day, Aeromexico and El Palacio de Hierro joined forces to offer Chiles en nogada, a typical Mexican dish that celebrates 200 years of being created in Puebla, Mexico, to more than 30,000 feet.
On September 5, passengers on flight AM01 on the Mexico City-Madrid route enjoyed an unparalleled gastronomic experience, being the first airline to offer this dish on board. During the trip, more than 270 dishes of Chiles en nogada were served, accompanied by a glass of Taittinger champagne, the official pairing for this season.
The preparation was in charge of La Cantina Palacio that besides offering a dish with the best flavor, it has a fair trade program with ingredients purchased directly from locals of Calpan, Puebla, thus promoting the development of this community, a task that El Palacio de Hierro has been doing for more than 3 years.
The ingredients that come from the town of Puebla were: Creole peach, Panochera apple (a Mexican variety), sweet-milk pear, pink pine nut and Castilian walnut.
Christian Romero, Aeromexico’s Senior Onboard Services Manager, mentioned “As Mexico’s global airline, we are proud ambassadors of the cultural, historical and gastronomic wealth of our country. That is why we make alliances with companies such as El Palacio de Hierro with whom we share values and commitments. It was an interesting logistics to serve one of the iconic dishes of our country, and it allows us to continue offering our customers unique travel experiences aboard the safest, most modern, efficient and least polluting aircraft in the industry”.
“It is a significant year that we could not ignore. At El Palacio de Hierro we celebrate 200 years of Chiles en nogada, and to praise its recipe and tradition, we created a Totalmente Palacio gastronomic experience to take this dish to the highest level it has ever reached. More than 30,000 feet in an Aeromexico flight will undoubtedly be memorable for such a symbolic dish for Mexicans”, commented Chef Guillermo Martinez from La Cantina Palacio.
The versions about the origin of Chiles en nogada are diverse, however, it is said that they date back to 1821. One of the most popular stories is that it was invented by the Augustinian nuns of the Santa Monica convent, in Puebla, to celebrate the Independence of Mexico and the saint’s day of Emperor Agustin de Iturbide, with a dish that had the colors of the Trigarante Army, which today remain as the national colors: green, white and red.
Regardless of the origin, Chiles en nogada have transcended time and continue to be recognized as one of the most emblematic dishes of Mexican gastronomy, declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, since 2010.