Venas De Chile En Vinagre

This recipe comes from 'La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 12,' published in 1890 by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo, part of a collectible series popular in Mexico in the late 19th century. The booklet showcases practical, everyday recipes for home cooks, reflecting both common ingredients and thrifty kitchen wisdom of the era. At a time when nothing from the chile was wasted, this recipe creatively turns the powerful chile veins—usually discarded—into a boldly spicy condiment. It exemplifies late 19th-century Mexican ingenuity, resourcefulness, and the vibrant traditions of preserving produce with vinegar, a practice central to home cooking before refrigeration.

In the 1890s, home cooks would have used a sharp knife to carefully remove and clean chile veins. Mortars and pestles might be used for bruising spices. A clay earthenware or glass jar would serve as the vessel for pickling. For measuring, cooks relied on eye, experience, or simple kitchen cups, as precision scales and modern measuring spoons were uncommon. The process required patience and a cool, dark place for infusing the mixture over several days.