Lomo De Puerco

This recipe hails from early 19th-century Mexico, an era of vibrant culinary fusion as Indigenous traditions mingled with Spanish and broader European influences. The 'Libro de varios guisados...,' compiled by Doña Maria Ramona Quixano y Contreras in 1808, is a remarkable manuscript that collects domestic recipes meant for the upper-middle classes of New Spain, chronicling beloved family dishes and festive preparations. Here, spice-laden pork loin prepared with wine and vinegar reflects both baroque Spanish taste and Mexican openness to aromatic spices introduced via global trade. Ingredients like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg point to the culinary colonial crossroads of that era, while marjoram and thyme show the influence of imported Mediterranean herbs.

In Doña Maria Ramona's kitchen, the pork would have been prepared using a simple knife for cutting and possibly a mortar and pestle for grinding the spices fresh. The spice mixture was likely shaped by hand and the pork tied with natural fibers, such as pita (from agave), common in the region. Cooking happened in heavy clay or copper cazuelas (casseroles) set over hardwood coals, providing slow, even heat retention. Herbs would be gathered fresh, and wine and vinegar measured by eye, with cooking overseen by a watchful cook practicing kitchen intuition rather than strict timing.