From Pages to Plates: Early Mexican Culinary Heritage - Part 2
Discover the rich flavors of history with this selection from the Mexican Cookbook Collection at UTSA Libraries. Explore centuries-old recipes and the stories behind them.
In Part 1, we explored Mexican cookbooks from the first half of the 19th century, revealing the foundational recipes that crossed borders and shaped Mexican American culinary traditions. In Part 2, we continue our journey into the second half, uncovering how these cookbooks evolved with new recipes, illustrations, and innovations, reflecting Mexican cuisine's development and its growing influence in the US, particularly in border regions and among Mexican communities.
La cocinera poblana y el libro de las familiasUniversity of Texas at San Antonio Special Collections
La cocinera poblana y el libro de las familias 1877
This 1877 regional cookbook was published and edited in the state of Puebla by editor Naciso Bassols I. Soriano, who had immigrated to Mexico 20 years earlier from Catalan as a musician.
UTSA's copy is decorated with red cover reliefs as well as gilt star borders, and it combines two books into one (first half is volume one, second half is volume two).
La Cocinera Poblana Title PageUniversity of Texas at San Antonio Special Collections
The subtitle explains that this two volume set not only holds recipes for cooking, but also for hygiene, domestic economics, and medicinal recipes for a long life.
La cocinera poblana (1877)University of Texas at San Antonio Special Collections
Each volume has a lengthy and detailed index in the back, making the navigation of the many sections very easy.
Many of the recipes in this cookbook use more indigenous ingredients such as chayote, cuitlacochis, nopales, calabasa and a variety of chiles and beans, while still having a variety of new world ingredients, techniques and dishes.
It features Puebla’s most well-known dishes “Nogada para chiles rellenos,” “Pipian verde,” and “Mole poblano de guajolote.”
La cocinera poblana (1877)Original Source: Physical copy at University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections
Nogada para chiles rellenos
"Nogada" refers to a walnut sauce typically used in the traditional Mexican dish "Chiles en Nogada." Chiles en Nogada is a festive dish that originated in Puebla, Mexico, and is often associated with Mexican Independence Day.
La cocinera poblana (1877)Original Source: Physical copy at University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections
Pipian
Pipian is a traditional Mexican sauce made from ground seeds (usually pumpkin seeds), chiles, spices, and sometimes nuts.
La cocinera poblana (1877)University of Texas at San Antonio Special Collections
Mole de guajolote
Mole de Guajolote is a traditional Mexican dish featuring turkey served with a rich mole sauce. This dish is deeply rooted in Mexican culinary traditions and often associated with special occasions and celebrations, such as weddings, religious festivals, and holidays.
Cocina Michoacana 1896
Published in 1896 by Vicenta Torres de Rubio, Cocina Michoacana was the first regional cookbook to be published by a woman in Mexico, with it being devoted to the state of Michoacan.
Vicenta Torres de Rubio was the publisher of the Cocina Michoacana periodical, which published recipes attributed to other Mexican chefs and home cooks throughout the country. This book was published under the print Imprenta Moderna in Zamora, Michoacan, Mexico.
The recipes are a good example of a mixture of traditional Spanish recipes using indigenous ingredients like chayotes, pipians and yerbas. Many recipes are accompanied by comments on different techniques or substitutes from authors featured in the periodical.
Cocina michoacana (1896) by Vicenta Torres de RubioOriginal Source: Physical copy at University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections
Chayotes en pipian
Chayotes en pipian is a traditional Mexican dish that features chayotes, a type of squash native to Mexico, served with a pipián sauce. This dish is a delicious example of how indigenous Mexican ingredients and cooking techniques have been preserved and passed.
There are several artistic plates throughout the book placed in relation to their ingredients.
The Moneda Decimal section introduces the metric system by explaining the equivalencies between the metric system of measurements and coins and weights.
La Cocina en el Bolsillo
At just 15 centimeters tall and 15-16 pages long, these turn-of-the-century recipe chapbooks published by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo really do fit into a bolsillo or pocket, perfect for ready reference in the kitchen.
Each volume includes twenty to thirty recipes for (mostly) traditional dishes such as Lengua de Vaca (beef tongue), Huachinango Relleno (stuffed red snapper); Chilles Rellenos (stuffed chiles); mole verde; and Pulque Rompopo (a traditional alcoholic drink made from agave).
La Cocina en el Bolsillo was published in at least three editions: one issued at some point in the 1890s or possibly 1901, a second appearing between 1907-1909, and a re-print of the latter in 1913. Identifying the edition with certainty is difficult, as only the 1913 volumes include a date on the title page. There may have also been a 1903 edition, but it has not been possible to confirm this.
La cocina en el bolsillo no. 5 (1890)Original Source: Physical copy at University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections
Cover illustrations for the first edition alternates between artwork by Manuel Manilla and José Guadalupe Posada (perhaps the most famous Mexican printmaker of his time). it appears that UTSA’s No. 2, 5, and 6 belong to this edition and were illustrated by Manilla.
The 1907-09/1913 edition, on the other hand, was entirely illustrated by Posada and has a very different style. Posada’s signature is visible in the lower left corner of No. 1 and No. 4 below.
La cocina en el bolsillo no. 12 (1890)Original Source: Physical copy at University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections
Antonio Vanegas Arroyo was an important publisher of inexpensive chapbooks on popular subjects, from cookery to prayers, to magic tricks, and his distribution reached at least as far north as San Antonio.
A December 23, 1897 issue of El Regidor contains an advertisement from Pablo Cruz, listing a wide range of titles for sale.
Most of Cruz’ books sold for between $1.00-4.00, but Vanegas Arroyo’s cookbooks could be purchased for just ten cents each, including not only La Cocina en el Bolsillo, but also El Moderno Pastelero and El Dulcero Mexicano.
These 19th-century Mexican cookbooks reveal a dynamic evolution of culinary practices. From foundational recipes that shaped early Mexican American cuisine to the regional specializations and sophisticated techniques of the late 1800s, these works capture the essence of a rich and diverse food culture. UTSA's collection preserves this culinary heritage, offering a glimpse into the traditions that continue to influence Mexican American cuisine today.
Contributors: Moira Mackay, Amy Rushing, and Juli McLoone (La Cocina en el Bolsillo)
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