Cuajar De Buey
"Ox Curd"
From the treasured pages of La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 2
Written by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo
Cuajar De Buey
"Despues de haberlo limpiado bien, se pone á cocer con cebollas, zanahorias, perejil, tomillo, laurel, clavo, sal y pimienta gorda y la suficiente cantidad de agua. Ya cocido, se deja escurrir y se corta en pedazos de cuatro dedos de largo; se cubren en seguida con mantequilla amasada con perejil, cebolla, un poco de ajo menudamente picado, sal y pimienta. Se sirve con una salsa picante."
English Translation
"After cleaning it well, cook it with onions, carrots, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, cloves, salt, and black pepper, adding enough water. Once cooked, let it drain and cut it into pieces about four fingers long; cover them with butter mixed with parsley, onion, a little finely chopped garlic, salt, and pepper. Serve with a spicy sauce."
Note on the Original Text
The recipe is written for an audience comfortable with improvisation: ingredient quantities are rarely measured, emphasizing method and order over precise amounts. Older Spanish spellings and phrasing (such as 'cuajar' for rennet tissue or stomach, and the term 'mantequilla amasada') may be unfamiliar to modern readers. Instructions are direct but assume knowledge of basic kitchen prepping, such as cleaning and boiling offal, and making compound butter by mixing aromatics by hand. The spicy sauce is left purposefully vague, presuming readers would have their own preferred versions on hand.
Title
La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 2 (1890)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Antonio Vanegas Arroyo
Era
1890
Publisher
Unknown
Background
A charming pocket-sized volume from the 'Cocina en el Bolsillo' series, brimming with delightful recipes for a variety of foods and offering a flavorful glimpse into historical culinary traditions.
Kindly made available by
University of Texas at San Antonio
This recipe hails from 'La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 2', published in 1890 by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo—an influential publisher dedicated to providing practical and accessible guides to everyday Mexican life. Recipes such as this one offered cost-effective and nourishing dishes using cuts of meat and household herbs; offal was commonly eaten across classes in 19th-century Mexico, often cooked slowly for tenderness. This cookbook series brought both European and Mexican culinary practices to a growing urban audience, bridging traditional home cooking with the changing tastes of Porfirian-era Mexico.
Cooks of the late 19th century would have used a large cast iron or copper stewpot (olla) for simmering the meat, and a wooden spoon or spatula for stirring. Chopping was done with a sharp kitchen knife on a heavy wooden board. Compound butter would be made by hand, using a pestle or simply mixing with a fork. Straining and draining required a sturdy colander or sieve, and food was often served from simple earthenware or glazed ceramic dishes. Stoves or open wood fires were common in kitchens, so careful heat management was essential.
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs 30 mins
Servings
4
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
- 2.2 lbs beef tripe (or beef abomasum, if available)
- 2 onions, peeled
- 2 carrots, peeled
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 tbsp coarse salt
- 10 black peppercorns
- 8–12 cups water
- 3.5 oz unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Pinch of salt (to taste)
- Cracked black pepper (to taste)
- Spicy sauce, to serve (e.g., salsa picante or hot sauce of choice)
Instructions
- Begin by thoroughly cleaning a piece of beef rennet (the 'cuajar de buey' most likely refers to the abomasum or stomach lining, though in modern kitchens, you can substitute with beef tripe).
- Place 2.2 lbs of beef tripe in a large pot with 2 peeled onions, 2 large carrots, a bunch of fresh parsley, 2 sprigs of thyme, 2 bay leaves, 4 whole cloves, 1 tablespoon coarse salt, 10 black peppercorns, and enough water to cover (about 8–12 cups).
- Bring to a boil and simmer gently until tender, about 2–3 hours.
- Drain well.
- Once cooled, cut the cooked tripe into lengths about 3–4 inches long (roughly four fingers).
- For the finishing touch, make a compound butter by mixing 3.5 oz softened unsalted butter with 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, 1 small finely chopped onion, 1 minced garlic clove, a pinch of salt, and cracked black pepper.
- Coat the tripe pieces in the herbed butter.
- Serve with a spicy sauce of your choice to taste.
Estimated Calories
340 per serving
Cooking Estimates
Preparing and cooking beef tripe takes time. You will need about 20 minutes to clean and prep the ingredients, and then about 2 and a half hours for simmering until the tripe is tender. Each serving contains around 340 calories.
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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