Improvised Broth
Source: Anonymous, 1920
History
Improvised Broth (Caldo improvisado) appears among the broths (caldos) in La Mejor Cocinera. Recetas de cocina, an anonymously authored Spanish home-cookery manual issued by the Madrid publishing house Editorial Saturnino Calleja; library catalogues date it to 1921 and surviving copies to 1923. Within the book's broths section it is listed alongside "Caldo sencillo — español — de ave — improvisado — de legumbres y verduras — de cereales." Unlike those simmered stocks, this one is "improvised": rather than cooking meat and bones, the printed recipe directs the cook to dissolve a ready-made meat extract or poultry gelatin in boiling water and serve. The full text reads: "CALDO IMPROVISADO.—Para cien gramos de extracto de carnes o gelatinas de aves, medio litro de agua hirviendo; se disuelve bien, y se sirve." The preparation therefore depends on a commercial, ready-made meat extract in place of home-cooked broth. Beyond this printed recipe, the historical record does not document a distinct origin, inventor, region of origin, or social meaning for this particular preparation.
Ingredients
- 100 grams meat extract or poultry gelatin
- 0.5 liter water
Instructions
- Dissolve the meat extract or poultry gelatin thoroughly in the boiling water. Serve.