Found in southwestern Mexico, the seven mole sauces of Oaxaca — including negro (black), rojo (red), verde (green) — are touted as the centerpiece of cuisine, but there’s an eighth mole that’s more rare: mole blanco. Long overshadowed by its seven siblings, mole blanco uses unique ingredients that set it apart from the rest.

Mole blanco is served at special occasions like Easter, Christmas, and weddings over chiles rellenos and pípí (edible blossoms), and as you might guess, it's white in color, in contrast to dark or colorful moles. This sauce has a complex flavor that encompasses fruitiness, spiciness, and floral notes wrapped in a thick and velvety texture.

Mole blanco uses white chocolate, unlike other moles that use dark chocolate, and may also include coconut oil, peanuts, almonds, pine nuts, tortillas, plantains, apple, blonde raisins, onion, serrano, and habanero chilis. These ingredients are blended with chicken broth or water and cloves, cinnamon, anise, allspice, and garlic.