Recipe Manuscript

Torta De Huevo P.A Almorzar

Name: Torta De Huevo P.A Almorzar
Prep time: PTPT15M
Cook time: PTPT20M
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 large eggs (approx. 200g); 60g toasted bread or panko (about 4 tbsp, 15g each); 4 pinches of sea salt (to taste); 20ml lard or butter; 4 medium ripe tomatoes (about 400g total); 2 garlic cloves (approx. 7g, peeled); Extra salt for sauce (to taste)

"Egg Cake For Lunch"

1828

From the treasured pages of Libor de Gisados de Maria Guadalupe Reyes

Written by Maria Guadalupe Reyes

Age of Gastronomy (1800 - 1900)American Beginner Breakfast

Original Recipe • 1828

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

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

Torta De Huevo P.A Almorzar

"Se baten los Huevos como pa freir, las claras primero y luego Se echan las llemas se tiene molido un poco de Pan tostado con su Sal correspondiente y con una Cuchara de Plata, tantas Cucharadas como tantos Huebos se incorpora mui bien este Pan con el Huebo y sé le echa en la tortera con poco fuego abajo, y un poco mas Arriba espanja como Mamon, y sé toca con la mano para ver si esta cosida, y estandolo se pone en el plato y se le echa por ensima la Salsa siguiente = Se toman unos jitomates bien Colorados y maduros y se ponen a Cocer, ya cocidos se Muelen con dos dientes de Ajos crudos y su poquito de Sal se frie en manteca y se le echa a la Torta."

English Translation

"Beat the eggs as if you were going to fry them, first the whites and then add the yolks. Have some toasted bread ground up with the corresponding amount of salt, and with a silver spoon, add as many spoonfuls as there are eggs. Incorporate the bread well into the eggs and pour the mixture into a cake pan with a little heat below, and a bit more heat above. It puffs up like 'mamón' (a type of sponge cake) and you touch it with your hand to see if it is cooked. Once it is ready, place it on a plate and pour the following sauce over it: Take some very red and ripe tomatoes and cook them. Once cooked, grind them with two raw garlic cloves and a little salt, fry this mixture in lard, and pour it over the cake."

Note on the Original Text

Recipes of the period were commonly written in a conversational tone, presupposing that the cook had a foundational knowledge of basic techniques. Precise measurements are absent—'tantas cucharadas como tantos huevos' indicates a direct one-to-one ratio, but without grams or milliliters. Spelling reflects the orthography and phonetics of early 19th-century Mexico ('llemas' for 'yemas,' 'jitomates' for tomatoes), and instructions are given in continuous prose, sometimes with no punctuation. The use of a silver spoon and tactile methods (testing doneness by hand) grounds the recipe in the practical, sensory world of the historical kitchen.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Libor de Gisados de Maria Guadalupe Reyes - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Libor de Gisados de Maria Guadalupe Reyes (1828)

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

Writer

Maria Guadalupe Reyes

Era

1828

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A handwritten treasure of 19th-century Mexican cuisine, this delightful manuscript brims with over 300 recipes ranging from festive traditional dishes to indulgent desserts. Explore ancestral flavors, ceremonial dishes like totolmole oaxaqueño, and sweet treats such as pollas borrachas, all artfully captured in Maria Guadalupe Reyes's elegant script.

Kindly made available by

University of Texas at San Antonio

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe hails from early 19th-century Mexico, specifically the manuscript 'Libor de Gisados y repostería de Maria Guadalupe Reyes' of 1828. At that time, Mexican cuisine was an evolving blend of indigenous techniques and Spanish influences. Simple egg dishes such as this torta de huevo were everyday fare, made with modest ingredients and inventive uses of bread to add substance. The tomato sauce—fragrant with garlic and fried in pork fat—reflects both Old World and New World flavors coming together at the table. Such recipes reveal home cooking methods before the industrial era, when cooks relied on wood or charcoal stoves and measured largely by eye or intuition rather than standardized scales or cups.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Cooks would have used a hand whisk (likely made of bundled twigs or metal), a sturdy clay or copper mixing bowl, and a wide silver spoon for mixing. For grinding the bread, a stone metate or a mortar and pestle were common. The torta was cooked in a 'tortera'—a heavy pan set over coals, with possibly more embers heaped on a lid to help it cook from above. Tomato sauce was pureed using a stone or clay mortar, and fried in a small cast-iron or clay pan.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

20 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

4 large eggs (approx. 7 oz)
2 oz toasted bread or panko (about 4 tbsp, 0.5 oz each)
4 pinches of sea salt (to taste)
1 tbsp lard or butter
4 medium ripe tomatoes (about 14 oz total)
2 garlic cloves (approx. 0.25 oz, peeled)
Extra salt for sauce (to taste)

Instructions

Begin by separating the eggs: place the whites in a mixing bowl and beat them until they are frothy, but not stiff.
Gently incorporate the yolks one at a time.
For each egg used, grind about 0.5 ounces of toasted bread (or use panko for a modern touch) and mix it with a pinch of salt.
Add an equal number of tablespoons of the toasted bread to the eggs—one generous tablespoon (about 0.5 oz) per egg.
With a spoon, fold the bread into the egg mixture.
Heat a greased oven-safe skillet or baking dish over low heat.
Pour the mixture in, cover, and allow it to cook gently on the stove top or in a low oven (about 320°F) until the surface puffs and springs gently to the touch—much like a sponge cake.
Slide it onto a platter.
For the sauce, simmer ripe tomatoes until soft, then peel and blend them with two raw garlic cloves and a pinch of salt.
Fry this tomato puree gently in a little lard or butter until the flavors meld and deepen.
Spoon the warm sauce generously over the 'torta' before serving.

Estimated Calories

220 per serving

Cooking Estimates

Preparing this dish takes about 15 minutes, including separating the eggs and making the sauce. Cooking takes about 20 minutes for the torta to set and the sauce to finish. Each serving contains about 220 calories. The full recipe makes 4 servings.

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.