Recipe Manuscript

Frijoles Portugueses

Name: Frijoles Portugueses
Prep time: PTPT25M
Cook time: PTPT2H
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 500g dried pinto or black beans; 5 tablespoons (75g) pork lard; 2 medium tomatoes (about 250g), blended or chopped; 1 medium onion (100g), chopped; 1 teaspoon (2g) ground cumin; 1 teaspoon (2g) ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon (2g) ground cloves; 250ml bean cooking liquid; 3–4 dried small red chilies or fresh chili peppers; 75g green olives, pitted; 2 tablespoons (30ml) vinegar; 300g pork ribs, fried; 1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil; Salt to taste

"Portuguese Beans"

1890

From the treasured pages of La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 12

Written by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo

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

Original Recipe • 1890

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

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

Frijoles Portugueses

"Cocidos los frijoles con manteca, se frien gitomates molidos y cebollas picadas, y se le echa un poco de caldo de los mismos frijoles y todas especies molidas; después se revuelven los frijoles, moliéndose unos pocos para que espece el caldillo, no sin antes haber frito todo bien en bastante manteca; después de sazonados, se les echa sus chilitos, aceitunas, vinagre, costillas de puerco fritas y aceite de comer."

English Translation

"Once the beans are cooked with lard, blend tomatoes and chop onions, then fry them. Add a bit of the bean broth and all the ground spices. Then mix in the beans, mashing a few to thicken the sauce, but only after frying everything well in plenty of lard. After seasoning, add chilies, olives, vinegar, fried pork ribs, and cooking oil."

Note on the Original Text

The recipe employs a direct and narrative style, typical of 19th-century Mexican cookbooks—assuming a cook's familiarity with basic techniques and omitting detailed measurements. The instruction to fry 'todos los ingredientes' relies on instinct and experience, and spellings reflect period conventions—for instance, 'gitomates' for 'jitomates' (tomatoes). It embodies the oral tradition transferred to paper, where proportions and times are implied rather than stated, lending an improvisational spirit to each cook’s version.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 12 - Click to view recipe in book

Title

La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 12 (1890)

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

Writer

Antonio Vanegas Arroyo

Era

1890

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A delightful pocket-sized treasure from the numbered series 'Cocina en el Bolsillo', this volume serves up a tempting array of recipes, inviting culinary enthusiasts on a tasteful journey through a variety of traditional foods.

Kindly made available by

University of Texas at San Antonio

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe hails from 'La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 12,' published in 1890 by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo as part of a pocket recipe series popular in late 19th-century Mexico. At this time, cookbooks were becoming accessible to the public, and recipes both showcased local flavors and international influences, such as the reference to 'Portuguese' beans. The dish represents a period of culinary fusion, with traditional Mexican ingredients like beans and chilies mingling with Mediterranean touches such as olives and vinegar, hinting at both colonial and cosmopolitan tastes of urban Mexican homes in the Porfiriato era.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Back in the late 1800s, cooks used clay or cast iron pots for boiling beans over wood-fired stoves or charcoal braziers. Mortar and pestle (molcajete) would grind spices and blend tomatoes, while heavy knives or cleavers chopped onions and pork. Metal or clay frying pans were used for sautéing over open flames, and wooden spoons mixed the stew. Serving would have been from a large communal pot, enjoyed with rustic bread or tortillas.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

2 hrs

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

1 lb 2 oz dried pinto or black beans
5 tablespoons (2.5 oz) pork lard
2 medium tomatoes (about 9 oz), blended or chopped
1 medium onion (3.5 oz), chopped
1 teaspoon (0.07 oz) ground cumin
1 teaspoon (0.07 oz) ground black pepper
1 teaspoon (0.07 oz) ground cloves
1 cup bean cooking liquid
3–4 dried small red chilies or fresh chili peppers
2.5 oz green olives, pitted
2 tablespoons (1 fl oz) vinegar
10.5 oz pork ribs, fried
1 tablespoon (0.5 fl oz) olive oil
Salt to taste

Instructions

Begin by cooking 1 lb 2 oz dried beans (such as pinto or black beans) in abundant water with 2 tablespoons (1 oz) pork lard until tender.
In a separate pan, heat 3 tablespoons (1.5 oz) lard and fry 2 medium tomatoes (about 9 oz), blended or finely chopped, together with 1 medium onion (3.5 oz), finely chopped.
Season with 1 teaspoon (0.07 oz) each of ground cumin, ground black pepper, and ground cloves.
Add about 1 cup bean cooking liquid to the tomato mixture and let it simmer.
Add the cooked beans, mashing about a quarter of them to thicken the broth.
Fry the mixture together well in another 2 tablespoons (1 oz) lard.
Once seasoned and thickened, add 3–4 whole small dried chilies (such as chile de árbol or substitute with fresh red chilies), 2.5 oz green olives, 2 tablespoons (1 fl oz) vinegar, 10.5 oz fried pork ribs (cut into small pieces), and 1 tablespoon (0.5 fl oz) olive oil.
Simmer everything together for a few more minutes, taste for seasoning, and serve hot.

Estimated Calories

480 per serving

Cooking Estimates

It takes some time to cook the beans until they are tender, and then prepare the tomato and pork rib mixture with spices. The total cook time includes simmering and combining everything. Prep time includes soaking beans (if needed), chopping the vegetables, and measuring ingredients. Each serving has about 480 calories, and this recipe makes around 6 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.