Pulque De Fresa
"Strawberry Pulque"
From the treasured pages of La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 2
Written by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo
Pulque De Fresa
"Para un barril de pulque, se toman dos piñas grandes y se muelen, media libra de tamarindos hervidos y molidos tambien, dos limones raspada la cáscara en la azúcar, luego se toma lo que pueda contener una peseta, de polvos de lirio, que se compran en la botica, se endulza al gusto y se le da color con panecillo."
English Translation
"For a barrel of pulque, take two large pineapples and grind them, half a pound of tamarinds boiled and ground as well, two lemons with the peel grated into the sugar. Then take as much lily powder as a coin can hold, which is bought at the pharmacy. Sweeten to taste and color with a little cake."
Note on the Original Text
Historical recipes like this typically offer approximate, not precise, measures—adapting to household scale and local conventions. Quantities like 'what fits in a peseta' (an old coin) reflect tactile, visual measuring standards of the time. 'Panecillo' referred to a small cake or roll, but in recipes like this it was a term for a coloring agent, often sold in little cakes or lozenges at markets—today replaced by food-safe coloring. The spelling and structure are direct, even telegraphic, shaped for quick understanding in busy kitchens. Ingredients such as iris root powder were once common at local boticas (apothecaries), used for flavor or aroma, and can be safely sourced as orris root from specialty vendors today.
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 comes from 'La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 2', published in 1890 by the prolific pressman and publisher Antonio Vanegas Arroyo. His 'cocina en el bolsillo' series brought accessible, curated recipes to Mexican households as compact little booklets. The Pulque de Fresa recipe exemplifies late 19th-century tastes for festive and flavorful enhancements to classic indigenous beverages like pulque—Mexico’s centuries-old lightly fermented agave drink. Drink-lore and the blending of native with imported flavors (such as tamarind and lemon) were at the heart of these everyday-yet-special recipes, reflecting the social and cultural melting pot of Porfirian-era Mexico.
In the late 19th century, cooks would use a large wooden barrel or jug for mixing and infusing the pulque. Pineapples were mashed with a mano and metate (stone grinder) or with pestle and mortar. Tamarind was softened in an iron pot over a wood fire, then passed through a sieve. Citrus zest was removed with a small knife or grater. The iris root powder (polvos de lirio) was weighed out using a small apothecary scale. Mixing was done with wooden paddles or large spoons.
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Servings
20
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
- 5 gallons fresh pulque (fermented agave beverage)
- 2 large pineapples (approx. 4.4 pounds total), peeled and mashed
- 8 ounces tamarind pods, boiled and mashed (seeds removed)
- 2 lemons, zest grated
- 1 cup sugar (for mixing with lemon zest, plus more to taste)
- 0.2 ounces iris root powder (orris root powder as substitute, from an apothecary or specialty shop)
- natural red food coloring or 3.5 fluid ounces red fruit puree (to simulate 'panecillo')
Instructions
- To make modern Pulque de Fresa (Strawberry Pulque) based on the historical instructions, you'll need one barrel (roughly 5 gallons) of fresh pulque.
- In a large vessel, thoroughly mash two large ripe pineapples (about 4.4 pounds total).
- Boil and mash 8 ounces of tamarind pods (remove seeds beforehand).
- Take two lemons, zest the peels into about 1 cup of sugar and mix well, releasing their fragrant oils.
- Add about 0.2 ounces of iris root powder (it's safe and used in traditional flavoring, though you may substitute with orris root powder purchased from a reputable spice shop or apothecary).
- Sweeten to taste, using additional sugar as needed, and give your concoction a rich festive color with a small amount of 'panecillo'—historically a type of red food coloring, which can be approximated today with a natural food dye or a hint of red fruit puree if desired.
- Mix all ingredients well and combine with the pulque.
- Allow the flavors to infuse for a few hours before serving chilled.
Estimated Calories
180 per serving
Cooking Estimates
It will take about 30 minutes to prepare all the fruits, zest, and mix everything together. Boiling and mashing the tamarind adds a bit of time but is quick. There is no real cooking except for boiling the tamarind. You get about 20 servings and each serving has about 180 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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