Mole, Tortillas, and Frida: Cinco de Mayo Chocolate

I'm convinced that Americans like to celebrate the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo because it's easy to pronounce and easy to translate. Few are aware that their Fifth of May festivities commemorate the 1862 defeat of French occupying forces by the Mexican army in the city of Puebla.

Puebla's signature dish, of course, is Mole Poblano. The complex, spicy stew with a chocolate-accented sauce is famously labor-intensive but, luckily for this year's inspired home cooks, the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Puebla falls on a Saturday. The Epicurious database contains an enthralling classic Mole Poblano recipe with 37 ingredients, many of which can be found at the online specialty shop MexGrocer.com.

Chocolate options are also available for those who want to put together an easier amalgam of Mexican symbols. Maverick snack maker FoodShouldTasteGood anticipated the margarita season with its chocolate tortilla chips, featured on Cool Hunting this week. And Monica Passin of New York's Painter Girl Chocolates is rolling out a set of Frida Kahlo Tribute Bars, each emblazoned with a portrait of the outspoken, seductively gender-bending Mexican icon.