Bistek

This bistek recipe comes from 'La Cosina en el Bolsillo No. 1', a Mexican pamphlet published in 1913 by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo. Part of a popular series designed for the modernizing home cook, these booklets provided accessible, portable guidance for urban households seeking to blend European cooking fashions, such as French-style beefsteak, with Mexican tastes and ingredients. The era was marked by political upheaval and cultural transformation—Dictator Porfirio Díaz's love of French cuisine had filtered into upper- and middle-class homes, and food writing was adapting to encompass European techniques with local twists. This recipe captures both the practicality and the cosmopolitan ambitions of Mexican cooks in the early 20th century.

In 1913, the bistek would have been prepared with sturdy kitchen knives, a heavy wooden cutting board, and possibly a metal meat mallet for flattening the meat. Marination would take place in rustic earthenware or ceramic bowls. Cooking was commonly done over open charcoal or wood fire, with the meat seared on an iron grill or a simple metal grate. Fried potatoes were likely cooked in a cast-iron pan over the same fire. A mortar and pestle would be typical for chopping herbs and mixing butters. Serving platters were heated in a warm oven or by the fire before plating.