Historians do not confirm the legend that chiles en nogada were created for Iturbide
Historians have found no documentary evidence to support the popular legend that Augustinian nuns in Puebla created the dish chiles en nogada for Agustín de Iturbide in 1821. According to The Rio Times, the museum at the former Santa Monica Convent—with which this story is associated—refers to it as a legend in its own materials.
According to archaeologist Eduardo Merlo, a manuscript from 1714 already contains a description of stuffed peppers in a white nut sauce—roughly a century before the events associated with Iturbide. This dish contained no meat. The recipe’s first printed appearance dates back to 1831: in the cookbook *El cocinero mexicano*, almonds were used instead of walnuts, and neither Iturbide nor the colors of the Mexican flag were mentioned.
Celia Vázquez Aumada, a researcher at the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico (INAH), who studied monastic recipe collections, found stuffed peppers and nut-based sauces in them. However, their ingredients differed from those of the modern dish. Expert Lilia Martínez-i-Torres also researched the 1821 reception: she concluded that it was a light reception, not a banquet. The event took place on August 8, and the preserved list of items served does not contain any ingredients that would indicate chiles en nogada.
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The Santa Monica Museum in Puebla explains the dish’s origins as a fusion of the culinary traditions of Indigenous peoples, Spaniards, and Africans, which developed in monastery kitchens over generations. Chiles en nogada are made with poblano peppers, white nut sauce, pomegranate, and parsley; the dish is in season in Puebla through September.
According to The Rio Times, the Santa Monica Museum plans to host the first national INAH congress dedicated to chiles en nogada as intangible cultural heritage on August 28–30, 2026. At the same time, the publication notes that only one newspaper in Puebla reported on the event, and INAH has not issued its own announcement.
