Cinco de Mayo and Mole Poblano

Cinco de Mayo is not the celebration of Mexican Independence, which was declared in 1810 and commemorated on September 16th. Instead, Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of Mexico's victory over French forces during the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. A relatively minor non-official holiday in Mexico; Cinco de Mayo, in the United States, has morphed into a celebration of Mexican heritage and culture.

The short history is that in 1861 Mexico defaulted on loans from European countries and Britain, Spain and France all came calling. Negotiations were successful between Mexico and Britain and Spain and their military forces were removed. Seeing an opportunity to expand it's global empire, France, under Napoleon III, decided to stay and fight.

Six thousand French troops fought two thousand poorly provisioned Mexican troops at Puebla de los Angeles and were roundly defeated. The day-long Battle of Puebla was the final one for over 500 French troops while fewer than 100 Mexicans lost their lives that day.

It was not a huge victory in the overall Franco-Mexican war, but was symbolic enough to bolster the resistance and foreshadowed the eventual withdrawal of the French army in 1867.

Mole Poblano, Mexico's national dish, was born in Puebla de los Angeles and is a traditional favorite to serve on Cinco de Mayo. To build it from scratch can take all day and some recipes include over 30 individual ingredients. When you're ready, give it a go. You will impress yourself!

https://www.mexicoinmykitchen.com/how-to-make-mole-poblano/