Castañas Fingidas
"Imitation Chestnuts"
From the treasured pages of Libor de Gisados de Maria Guadalupe Reyes
Written by Maria Guadalupe Reyes
Castañas Fingidas
"A tres libras de Azucar una libra de Almendra no muy molida se le da el punto q. se quiera despegar del Cazo se deja enfriar y se echa sobre Azucar la pasta fingiendo las Castañas, y al otro dia se hacen untandolas de Yema de huevo."
English Translation
"To three pounds of sugar, add one pound of almonds, not too finely ground. Cook until the mixture reaches the desired consistency and comes away from the pan. Let it cool, then shape the paste on sugar to resemble chestnuts. The next day, brush them with egg yolk."
Note on the Original Text
The recipe is written in a concise, almost shorthand style, typical of early 19th-century manuscript cookbooks, assuming the cook knows key details—like sugar 'punto,' or the proper stage for candy making. Spelling and syntax reflect regional orthography, such as 'Azucar' for sugar, and 'se le da el punto q. se quiera'—meaning to cook until the desired sugar stage, here just shy of a paste that leaves the pan. Abbreviations, informal measurements, and an assumption of hands-on culinary experience were common; recipes were oral traditions in written form, and spelling variations ('fingidas' for faux, 'cazo' for pan) reflect the manuscript’s fluid, personal, and regional Spanish of the time.
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
This recipe hails from the 1828 Mexican culinary manuscript 'Libor de Gisados y repostería' composed by María Guadalupe Reyes. The notebook captures the vibrant intersection of Spanish and Indigenous traditions in early post-colonial Mexico, a moment when convent sweets and European techniques mingled with local flavors and methods. 'Castañas Fingidas,' or "Feigned Chestnuts," speaks to both creativity and practicality—convent and home cooks often mimicked rare or cherished ingredients (here, the chestnut) using more accessible local products, in this case almonds. Recipes like this showcase the era’s ingenuity and reveal the roots of many beloved Mexican confections.
In 1828, cooks would have used sturdy copper cazos (sugar pans) for boiling sugar mixtures, ensuring even heat and preventing scorching. Grinding almonds was either by hand with a stone metate or an iron molino. Shaping would be done by hand on a table sprinkled with sugar to prevent sticking, and a simple brush or even a finger would suffice for applying the egg yolk glaze. Drying took place at ambient room temperature, relying on air and time rather than ovens or dehydrators.
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Servings
24
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
- 3 pounds granulated sugar
- 1 pound blanched almonds (not too finely ground; almond meal can be substituted, but coarser is preferred)
- Powdered sugar, as needed (for dusting/shaping)
- 1 egg yolk (for brushing)
Instructions
- To make 'Castañas Fingidas' as described in the early 19th-century Mexican manuscript, start by finely grinding 1 pound of blanched almonds, though not to a complete powder—some texture should remain.
- Combine these almonds with 3 pounds of granulated sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
- Over medium-low heat, stir the mixture constantly to prevent scorching, allowing the sugar to melt and combine with the almonds.
- Cook until the paste just begins to form a mass that pulls away from the sides of the pan, similar to thick marzipan.
- Once the mixture reaches this point, remove from the heat and allow it to cool until manageable.
- On a board dusted with powdered sugar, shape sections of the paste into chestnut-like forms.
- Allow these to sit uncovered until the next day to dry out a bit.
- The following day, lightly brush each 'chestnut' with egg yolk, then let them dry completely before serving.
Estimated Calories
260 per serving
Cooking Estimates
You will spend about 15 minutes preparing the ingredients and workspace, then about 20 minutes cooking the almond-sugar paste. After shaping, the chestnuts need to rest overnight to dry before brushing with egg yolk the next day. Each serving has about 260 calories, and the whole recipe makes about 24 chestnut-shaped pieces.
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.
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