Bizcochos

This recipe, penned in 1916 by Hortensia Volante in her handwritten collection 'Recetas de Pardo', captures the blend of traditional Spanish baking and early 20th-century French culinary influence popular among upper-middle-class households. The use of 'nata' (clotted or heavy cream) and 'Royal' baking powder hints at the increasing availability of processed ingredients and kitchen conveniences at the time. These simple, comforting 'bizcochos' would likely have accompanied afternoon tea or coffee, forming part of domestic rituals in a pre-war Spanish home. Manuscript cookbooks like this one served as treasured family archives, handed down through generations, each reflecting the prevailing tastes and social trends of their era.

In the early 20th century, a home cook would prepare this recipe with basic, sturdy tools: a ceramic or wooden mixing bowl, a fork or wooden spoon for stirring, and perhaps a kitchen knife for slicing. The dough was likely rolled out by hand directly onto a wooden table or marble slab. Baking would have been done in a wood-fired or coal oven, with cooks relying on skill and instinct in place of precise temperature controls.