Betun

This delightful 'betun' recipe hails from a late 19th-century Mexican manuscript, handwritten by Guadalupe Perez in Acatzingo, Puebla, in 1884. The manuscript features a personal collection of recipes, ranging from everyday fare to charming confections such as this one, offering a glimpse into the culinary life of a well-to-do Mexican household at the time. Recipes like this were rarely precise by today’s standards and reflect an era when household cooks relied on intuition, tactile cues, and a dash of artistry. Betun, in its day, was both a decorative and edible treat: perfect for gilding pastries—or simply enjoyed as playful drops.

In 1884, a cook would have used a simple ceramic or earthenware cup to measure and mix the egg whites—no electric mixers in sight! The egg whites would be beaten vigorously by hand with a wooden spoon. A fine cloth or wire tamiz (sieve) was essential for sifting the sugar until snowy soft. To shape the betun drops, a large kitchen spoon did double duty both for mixing and forming. The drops would be set on a sheet of tin or tinned copper—common bakeware at the time—to air dry or gently warm in a hearth oven. If fragrance or color was desired, natural substances—like fruit juices, plant extracts, or ground spices—would impart their hue and aroma, since commercial food coloring did not exist.