Viennese Mantecadas
Source: Anonymous, 1920
History
"Mantecadas de Viena" is printed in La Mejor Cocinera. Recetas de Cocina, an anonymous Spanish home-cookery collection published in Madrid by Editorial Saturnino Calleja; library and bookseller records place it in the early 1920s (catalogued as 1921 and 1923). The book is described as a broad recipe compendium covering the principal raw materials—meat, fish, fruit, vegetables—together with a section on table-service etiquette and household cleaning advice. As printed here, the recipe is a version of the mantecado: softened manteca (pork lard) is worked smooth and mixed thoroughly with ground almonds, pilón (loaf) sugar and toasted flour until incorporated, then cut into individual portions and baked until golden. The mantecado is documented as a traditional Spanish sweet made from flour, pork lard, almond and sugar, with its origin placed in the 16th century, tied to a local surplus of cereals and pork lard in Andalusia; its birthplace is disputed between Estepa and Antequera. Beyond recording the recipe, the historical record I could source does not document a specific inventor, a firm date, or a particular meaning for the "de Viena" variant as it appears in this book.
Ingredients
- 0.5 kg manteca (lard)
- 0.5 kg ground almonds
- 0.5 kg pilón sugar
- 1 kg toasted flour
Instructions
- Soften the manteca (lard) until smooth. Mix it thoroughly with the ground almonds, pilón sugar, and toasted flour, working the mixture well until fully incorporated. Cut the dough into individual portions. Bake in the oven until golden.