Salsa De Cebolla

This recipe for Salsa de Cebolla hails from 'La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 12', published in 1890 by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo. The series served as a handy, pocket-sized guide for home cooks in late 19th-century Mexico, at a time when cookery was transitioning from oral tradition to print. These booklets were aimed at providing practical, flavorful recipes that merged Spanish colonial influences with indigenous Mexican ingredients and techniques. This sauce exemplifies the resourceful and flavorful Mexican kitchen of the period, where leftover meats, aromatic spices, and pantry staples like bread and onions were creatively combined to stretch meals and delight the palate. The subtle use of spices and sweet-and-sour notes reveals both the Moorish legacy in Spanish cooking and Mexico's own evolving taste.

In the late 19th century, this recipe would have been made using a comal (for toasting bread), a heavy iron or clay cazuela or skillet for frying, and a metate or molcajete (grinding stone) to puree the onions and bread. The direct heat of wood or charcoal fires was essential for 'burning' butter or lard, lending deep flavors. Spoons made from wood or metal would be used for stirring and serving. While the process today is often streamlined by using food processors and nonstick pans, the fundamental technique of slow sautéing, grinding, and simmering remains unchanged.