Rabos De Cebolla

This recipe is from 'El Cocinero Mexicano' (1831), a seminal Mexican cookbook that helped define domestic cookery in post-Independence Mexico. Compiled by Mariano Arevalo and Mariano Galvan Rivera, the text aimed to collect both traditional and contemporary dishes for the Mexican home, at a time when national identity was being shaped at the table. 'Rabos de cebolla' is a clever, rustic dish making use of the often-discarded green onion tops. Combined with day-old bread and modest spices, this recipe demonstrates the resourcefulness and depth of Mexican home kitchens of the era. It was typically served with poultry, transforming humble scraps into a flavorful sauce or braise.

In the early 1800s, this recipe would have been prepared in a clay or iron cazuela (casserole dish) over a wood fire or charcoal brazier. The green onion tops, garlic, and bread would have been fried in lard or rendered poultry fat in the cazuela, then ground together with a stone molcajete (mortar and pestle) to form a paste. Cooking would continue in the same cazuela, with the poultry and broth added and the sauce simmered until thick. Spoons made from wood or horn were used to stir the pot, and serving was done from the vessel directly to the table.