Recipe Manuscript

Sopa Juliana

Name: Sopa Juliana
Prep time: PTPT10M
Cook time: PTPT25M
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 small French baguette (about 120 g); 30 g lard (or substitute with unsalted butter or vegetable oil); 1 small onion (about 80 g), finely chopped; 2 medium tomatoes (about 180 g), diced; 50 g carrots, cooked and finely chopped; 50 g green peas, cooked; 50 g green beans, cooked and chopped; 200 g cooked beef (such as from a stew or pot-au-feu), shredded or chopped; Salt, to taste

"Juliana Soup"

1901

From the treasured pages of Mexican Cooking Manuscripts B. Patoni

Unknown Author

Early Modern Kitchen (1900 - 1930)American Intermediate Lunch Dinner

Original Recipe • 1901

Original Manuscript(circa Early Modern Kitchen, 1900 - 1930)

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

Sopa Juliana

"Se doran en un Comal rebanadas de pan frances, se frien en manteca, sebollas, jitomate, tapio, Sanahoria cocida y picada, chicharos y ejotes cocidos; estando todo frito, se le echa carne del puchero y sal; se muele un pedazo de pan frito, y se le pone para servirla. frituras estas sazonadas al gusto por encima."

English Translation

"Slices of French bread are toasted on a griddle, then fried in lard along with onions, tomato, celery, cooked and chopped carrot, peas, and cooked green beans; once everything is fried, meat from a boiled stew and salt are added; a piece of fried bread is ground and added when serving. These fried ingredients are seasoned to taste on top."

Note on the Original Text

This recipe is written in a concise, list-like manner typical of early manuscript cookbooks. Ingredients are expected to be known and sourced by intuition, and quantities are rarely exact. Modern spellings differ: 'sebollas' is now spelled 'cebollas' (onions); 'sanahoria' should be 'zanahoria' (carrot); 'jitomate' (specific tomato variety) is now often called 'tomate'. Instructions flow as a single paragraph without numbered steps or clear ingredient lists, relying on the cook’s judgement and experience.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Mexican Cooking Manuscripts B. Patoni - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Mexican Cooking Manuscripts B. Patoni (1901)

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

Writer

Unknown

Era

1901

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A delightful scramble of handwritten Mexican recipes from the early 1900s, this collection unveils old-world treasures like albóndigas reales, frituras, and fricasé. Alongside these traditional gems, a folded, blue-inked page introduces the reader to American-inspired treats such as 'bisquits' and 'galletas rápidas'. Perfect for culinary explorers with a taste for history and a dash of adventure.

Kindly made available by

University of Texas at San Antonio

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This Sopa Juliana recipe hails from a Mexican handwritten culinary manuscript dated around 1901, representing home cooking traditions at the turn of the 20th century. Recipes such as this one were likely created for middle-class households incorporating influences from French breads and European-style soups but using distinctively Mexican vegetables and cooking fats. Such manuscripts acted as community or family cookbooks, preserving culinary techniques and adaptations in pre-revolutionary Mexico. This period saw the blending of Mexican and European culinary tools and practices, as evidenced by the use of French bread, lard, and local vegetables. The manuscript is a window into changing tastes and available ingredients in early 20th-century Mexican kitchens.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Cooks would have used a comal—a traditional Mexican flat griddle—over an open flame or wood-fired stove to toast the bread slices. A heavy frying pan or cazuela (clay pot) would be used to fry the vegetables and meat in lard. Broth and sauces could be blended using a metate (stone grinder) or with a wooden spoon to crush the bread for thickening. Serving would take place in simple earthenware bowls, highlighting the rustic and homey nature of the dish.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

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

1 small French baguette (about 4.2 oz)
2 tbsp lard (or substitute with unsalted butter or vegetable oil)
1 small onion (about 2.8 oz), finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes (about 6.3 oz), diced
1/3 cup carrots, cooked and finely chopped
1/3 cup green peas, cooked
1/3 cup green beans, cooked and chopped
7 oz cooked beef (such as from a stew or pot-au-feu), shredded or chopped
Salt, to taste

Instructions

Begin by slicing a small French baguette into rounds and toasting these slices on a hot skillet or griddle (comal) until golden brown.
In a large frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of lard or unsalted butter.
Add one small onion, finely chopped, and cook until translucent.
Add two medium ripe tomatoes, diced, and cook until soft.
Then, add 1/3 cup each of cooked and finely chopped carrots, green peas, and green beans (either fresh or frozen and blanched), stirring well until heated through and lightly fried.
Add about 7 ounces of shredded boiled beef or leftover beef from a stew, and season with salt to taste.
Take one of the fried bread slices, blend it with some broth to form a thickener, and stir this back into the suop.
Serve the vegtable and meat mixture over the toasted bread slices in a bowl, spooning a bit of extra pan juices on top.
Finish with a drizzle of the pan's cooking fat for flavor.

Estimated Calories

290 per serving

Cooking Estimates

It takes about 10 minutes to slice and toast the bread, and another 25 minutes to cook the vegetables and beef mixture. Preparation time is short because most ingredients are pre-cooked and just need chopping or mixing. Each serving has an average number of calories for a hearty soup with bread and beef.

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.