The Puebla dish of poblano peppers stuffed with picadillo and topped with walnut sauce is called chiles en nogada.
Chiles en nogada consists of poblano chiles filled with picadillo, a seasoned mixture that commonly includes minced meat, aromatics, fruit, and spices. The peppers are covered with nogada, a creamy walnut sauce, then finished with pomegranate seeds and parsley. It is traditionally served at room temperature.
The dish is strongly associated with Puebla and is often considered a national dish of Mexico. Its ingredients are also linked to the colors of the Mexican flag: green poblano chile, white walnut sauce, and red pomegranate. Seasonal versions commonly appear in August and the first half of September, when pomegranates and other ingredients are available.
A popular origin story connects the dish with 1821, Mexican independence, and Agustín de Iturbide, but historians disagree about its exact creation. Some traditions credit the Clarisas, while others name Augustinian nuns at Puebla’s Santa Mónica convent. Chiles en nogada is not simply chiles rellenos: the walnut sauce, pomegranate garnish, Puebla identity, and seasonal presentation distinguish it.