Recipe Manuscript

Nogada Francesa

Name: Nogada Francesa
Prep time: PTPT30M
Cook time: PTPT1H30M
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 medium chickens (about 2 kg total), cut into quarters; 750 ml water; 750 ml white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar; 4-5 whole cloves; 8-10 whole black peppercorns; 5 cm cinnamon stick, broken into pieces; 20 threads saffron; 1 tablespoon coarse salt; 50 g butter (or substitute with lard, as used historically); 100 g walnuts (originally 'nueces'); 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 2-3 whole cloves (for sauce); 2 garlic cloves; 40 g soft white bread (for crumb), soaked in 75 ml vinegar; 40-50 g butter (for sauce; lard may also be used)

"French Nogada"

1808

From the treasured pages of Libro de varios guisados, antes, y postres, que pertenece

Written by Maria Ramona Quixano y Contreras

Age of Gastronomy (1800 - 1900)American Intermediate Dinner Lunch

Original Recipe • 1808

Original Manuscript(circa Age of Gastronomy, 1800 - 1900)

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

Nogada Francesa

"Las gallinas partidas en quartos, se hechan en una olla, con tanto de agua como de vinagre, se le hecha clavos enteros, pimienta, y canela en pedazos, 20s hebras de azafran, sal, y una poca de manteca, se tapa mui bien dicha olla, y queda en infusion de ella hasta otro dia que se pondra à cocer à fuego manso, con un pajel mojado, y una olla de agua encima, estando bien cocida se ponen à enfriar los quartos como si fuera Escabeche, y que se muelen bastantes nueces, cominos, y clavos, y ajos, y un migajon de pan mojado en vinagre, todo se hecha à ahogar en manteca, se meten los quartos de la gallina."

English Translation

"The hens, cut into quarters, are placed in a pot with as much water as vinegar. Whole cloves, pepper, and pieces of cinnamon are added, along with 20 strands of saffron, salt, and a bit of lard. The pot is very well covered and left to infuse until the next day, when it will be cooked over a low heat, with a wet cloth and another pot of water on top. When well cooked, the quarters are set aside to cool, as if making Escabeche, and plenty of walnuts, cumin, cloves, garlic, and a crumb of bread soaked in vinegar are ground together. All of this is fried in lard, and then the chicken quarters are added."

Note on the Original Text

The recipe, like many of its age, is written as a narrative rather than with explicit measurements or stepwise instructions. Ingredients are mentioned as they are used, and exact quantities are estimated or left to the cook’s discretion. Spelling and phrasing may differ: for example, 'hechar' is a historical spelling of 'echar' (to add), and 'pajel' refers to using a cloth or possibly a pan to create a moist seal. The term 'nogada' designates a sauce based on nuts (walnuts), and 'Escabeche' signifies a vinegar-based marinade or pickle. Such recipes assume a high level of skill and intuition in the cook, who would adapt amounts and techniques to ingredients and equipment on hand.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Libro de varios guisados, antes, y postres, que pertenece - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Libro de varios guisados, antes, y postres, que pertenece (1808)

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

Writer

Maria Ramona Quixano y Contreras

Era

1808

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A charming window into 19th-century Mexican home cooking, this manuscript whisks readers through a delectable array of chicken dishes, vibrant salsas, and colorful salads—each recipe graced with the personal touch of Doña Maria Ramona Quixano y Contreras.

Kindly made available by

University of Texas at San Antonio

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe hails from the early 19th-century Mexican manuscript cookbook, 'Libro de varios guisados, antes, y postres', penned by Doña Maria Ramona Quixano y Contreras. Written in 1808 in Silao, Mexico, it reflects a refined urban domestic cuisine influenced both by colonial Spanish techniques and New World ingredients. The book is rich with preparations for fowl, salsas, and innovative uses of nuts and spices, which were luxury ingredients at the time. 'Nogada Francesa' demonstrates the blending of European (notably French and Spanish) culinary traditions with local Mexican tastes—vinegar-based escabeche and rich nut sauces—which marked upper-class kitchens in colonial and early independent Mexico.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Back then, cooks would have relied on simple but sturdy kitchen equipment: large earthenware or copper pots, stone mortars and pestles (molcajetes) for grinding spices and nuts, and open hearths or charcoal braziers for slow, steady cooking. Heavy cloths (likely linen or cotton) could be used to tightly seal pot lids and mimic gentle steaming. Manual labor—chopping, grinding, and hand-mixing—was essential for creating the richly textured sauces.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 30 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

2 medium chickens (about 4.5 lbs total), cut into quarters
3 1/4 cups water
3 1/4 cups white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
4-5 whole cloves
8-10 whole black peppercorns
2-inch cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
20 threads saffron
1 tablespoon coarse salt
3 1/2 tablespoons butter (or substitute with lard, as used historically)
3.5 oz walnuts (originally 'nueces')
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2-3 whole cloves (for sauce)
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 oz soft white bread (for crumb), soaked in 1/3 cup vinegar
3-3 1/2 tablespoons butter (for sauce; lard may also be used)

Instructions

To make the Nogada Francesa as imagined in 1808, start by quartering two medium chickens (about 4.5 lbs total).
Place them in a large pot with 3 1/4 cups of water and 3 1/4 cups of white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
Add 4-5 whole cloves, 8-10 whole black peppercorns, a 2-inch stick of cinnamon (broken into pieces), a pinch (20 threads) of saffron, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 3 1/2 tablespoons of butter.
Cover tightly and let this mixture infuse overnight in the refrigerator.
The next day, cook the pot over low heat, using a moist cloth (or a tightly fitted lid in modern times) to seal the top.
For authenticity, a heavy pan with a smaller pot containing water could be set atop the lid to create a gentle, moist heat.
Simmer gently until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender, about 1.5 hours.
Remove the chicken pieces and allow them to cool, as if preparing for escabeche.
Meanwhile, prepare a nut sauce by grinding together 3.5 oz of walnuts, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 2-3 whole cloves, 2 garlic cloves, and the soft inside of a small bread roll (about 1 1/2 oz), soaked in 1/3 cup of vinegar.
Cook this mixture gently in 3-3 1/2 tablespoons of butter until aromatic.
Return the cooled chicken pieces to the pan, spoon the sauce over them, and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Estimated Calories

540 per serving

Cooking Estimates

You will need extra time because the chicken marinates overnight before cooking. The prep time covers cutting the chicken, measuring, and prepping ingredients. Cooking takes about 1.5 hours, mostly just simmering. This recipe makes enough for about 6 servings, and each serving has around 540 calories.

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.