Salsa De Anchoas

This recipe hails from 'La Cocinera Poblana y el Libro de las Familias', published in 1877, a comprehensive manual from Puebla, Mexico, covering cooking, hygiene, and domestic economy. The book bridges traditional Mexican and European culinary techniques, reflecting a time when French and Spanish influences mingled with Mexican tastes in upper and middle-class kitchens. This piquant anchovy sauce illustrates an era when preserved seafood and rich broths were cherished staples for enhancing roasts or special meals. In late 19th-century Puebla, such sauces signaled sophistication and a cosmopolitan palate, presenting bold and tangy flavors designed to enliven roast meats in an age before widespread refrigeration and modern condiments.

The sauce would have been prepared in a small earthenware or copper cazuela, set over a coal or wood-burning stove. Chopping was done with a sharp kitchen knife, and the blending occurred manually. The mixture was strained through fine muslin cloth or a metal sieve, and citrus was squeezed by hand. No blenders or electrical appliances—just skilled hands and basic kitchen tools!