Recipe Manuscript

Sopa De Pure De Chicharos

Name: Sopa De Pure De Chicharos
Prep time: PTPT15M
Cook time: PTPT1H
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 300g dried green peas (or 600g fresh if available); 2 medium ripe tomatoes (about 250g); 1/8 tsp ground cumin (optional); 1/8 tsp ground black pepper; Salt to taste; 2 tablespoons lard, unsalted butter, or olive oil (for frying puree); 100g day-old crusty bread; 2 tablespoons lard or olive oil (for frying bread)

"Pea Puree Soup"

1886

From the treasured pages of Mexican Cooking Notebook: Manuscript de Manuela

Written by Heredia y Cervantes, Manuela

Age of Gastronomy (1800 - 1900)American Beginner Lunch Dinner

Original Recipe • 1886

Original Manuscript(circa Age of Gastronomy, 1800 - 1900)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

Sopa De Pure De Chicharos

"Cuecense los chicharos y se muelen con unos jitomates asados, sus especias, y se frie este caldo. Se frie el pan en trozos pequeños y se acomodan en manteca ó con un poco de aceite; estos se ponen en la sopera y al tiempo de mandarla á la mesa se les echa ensima el caldo que esta sueltesito y bien caliente."

English Translation

"Cook the peas and mash them with some roasted tomatoes, their spices, and fry this broth. Fry the bread in small pieces and arrange them in lard or with a little oil; place these in the soup tureen and, when serving at the table, pour the broth—loose and very hot—over them."

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is written in the typical abbreviated style of 19th-century manuscripts, assuming the cook has knowledge of basic preparation and ingredient handling. Directions leave much to the cook's discretion—measurements are vague, procedures are condensed, and ingredients are referred to generically by type rather than specific variety (e.g., 'especias' for spices). Spelling differences (such as 'chicharos' instead of 'chícharos', 'jitomates' for 'tomatoes') reflect historical norms. The focus is on the cooking actions: boiling, roasting, frying, and assembling just before serving, embodying the hands-on, intuitive cooking of its time.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Mexican Cooking Notebook: Manuscript de Manuela - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Mexican Cooking Notebook: Manuscript de Manuela (1886)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Heredia y Cervantes, Manuela

Era

1886

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A charming 19th-century manuscript brimming with traditional Mexican recipes—think Sopa de chícharos, Relleno de ravioles, Sopa de lentejas, and Pastel de tuétanos—this notebook is a flavorful journey into Mexico’s culinary heritage, crafted by a masterful home cook.

Kindly made available by

University of Texas at San Antonio

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe comes from the 1886 Mexican Cooking Notebook, a handwritten collection by Manuela Heredia y Cervantes. The notebook captures the culinary spirit of late 19th-century Mexico, when European influences—such as the use of purees, sopas, and fried breads—were woven into Mexican home cooking. Peas ('chícharos') and bread soups were comforting staples, combining economy and flavor. The choice of fats (lard, butter, or oil) reveals both Spanish culinary legacies and an openness to ingredients available to the Mexican middle and upper classes. Simple, rustic, and meant to nourish, this soup reflects the humble yet ingenious nature of everyday Mexican kitchens of its era.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Back in the 19th century, this soup would be made with basic kitchen tools: a heavy clay or iron pot for boiling peas, a comal or open flame for roasting tomatoes, a large mortar (molcajete) or hand-cranked grinder to crush the peas and tomatoes into a puree, and an iron skillet for frying in lard or oil. Bread would be cut with a sturdy knife and fried in a shallower pan, while the final serving vessel would be a deep ceramic or glazed clay soup tureen, perfect for showcasing the hot broth poured over the crispy bread.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

1 hr

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

10.5 oz dried green peas (or 21 oz fresh if available)
2 medium ripe tomatoes (about 9 oz)
1/8 tsp ground cumin (optional)
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons lard, unsalted butter, or olive oil (for frying puree)
3.5 oz day-old crusty bread
2 tablespoons lard or olive oil (for frying bread)

Instructions

To make Sopa de puré de chícharos in a modern kitchen, start by cooking 10.5 oz of dried green peas in a pot with enough water to cover them, simmering until tender (about 45 minutes).
Roast 2 medium (about 9 oz total) ripe tomatoes under a broiler or on a skillet until the skins blister.
Peel and roughly chop the tomatoes.
Blend the cooked peas with the roasted tomatoes and a small pinch (about 1/8 tsp each) of ground cumin and black pepper, or your choice of warm spices, until you have a smooth puree.
If needed, thin with some of the pea cooking water to achieve a soupy consistency.
Heat 2 tablespoons of lard, butter, or olive oil in a large saucepan, and fry the puree gently for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt to taste.
Slice 3.5 oz of day-old crusty bread into small cubes.
In a separate frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of lard or oil and fry the bread pieces until golden and crisp.
Place the fried bread cubes into a soup tureen; when ready to serve, pour the hot pea-tomato soup over the bread and serve immediately.

Estimated Calories

300 per serving

Cooking Estimates

It takes about 15 minutes to get your ingredients ready and about 1 hour to cook the soup, including simmering the peas and frying the bread and puree. Each bowl has about 300 calories. This recipe makes 4 servings.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.