A fifteenth-century French ilumination of a market scene. The image shows a square ringed by houses. Market stalls are set up along its sides displaying various items for sale. Cattle, pigs, and chickens also await buyers. Several fashionably dressed people are seen walking across the square.

Piecing together references to a medieval market snack. Culinary history can be fascinating.

www.culina-vetus.de/2026/04/01/a...

#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #medievalsky #aprilfools

A coloured woodcut showing two armed men in front of a cityscape. The city is identified in writing and by specific buildings as Braunschweig. One man is armoured, the other wearing fashionable clothes. Their shields show the arms of Braunschweig while the shield between them bears a fleur.de-lis, identifying them as members of the Lilienvente, a conservative defensive association in the city.

Braunschweig 1445: Patricians partying with commoners, lots of ham, noisy protest, a cat in disguise, almost a revolution, but definitely a bread pudding recipe from 1460.

www.culina-vetus.de/2026/03/26/f...

#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #eattherich #medievalsky

Nineteenth-century newspaper cartoon. The top image shows a stylised scene of three emaciated figures lying in a desolate landscape. The caption reads "hunger and despair". The bottom image shows Prussian infantry advancing with fixed bayonets. Its caption reads "government aid".

1844 Painting by Karl Wilhelm Hübner. THe painting swhows a scene inside the office of a Verleger. The contractor, dressed in a fashionable suit, is turning his back on the group of weavers, sneering as he pulls out a bolt of cloth. On the right, a group of weavers stand in picturesque poses against a whitewashed wall, despair registering on their artfully lit faces. A woman has collapsed on the floor. This is a contemporary bourgeois reading of events as a morality play.

1897 etching by Käthe Kollwitz. The image shows a group of poorly dressed, stopped people, mainly women, crowding in front of the garden gate of a rich house. Several women are ripping up paving stones to turn into projectiles. Soon, they will break through the gate and enter the grounds. Clothing and architecture are deliberately anachronistic.

Potato and herring recipes from the time of 1844 Silesian Weavers' Uprising. If you don't know the #Weberaufstand, you should read about it just to understand how influential it was.

www.culina-vetus.de/2026/03/23/p...

#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #Victorian #eattherich

"Heimgekehrt", an 1892 engraving based on an earlier painting. The image shows the interior of a modest rural home. A young man is sitting at a table in the centre of the picture, dressed in a sailor's shirt. He is surrounded by his family; grandmother seated to his right, mother standing slightly behind, three adoring younger siblings to the left. Discarded luggage is shown in the right foreground. This is a romanticised and sanitised version of a scene that must have played out thousands of times along the German seaboard where the only option for sons of many families to find employment was to become sailors. The law permitted them to begin their apprenticeship by age 14, mustering as Schiffsjungen. Originally published in Die Gartenlaube, courtesy of wikimedia commons

Mutiny on the Maria von Ueckermünde!
In 1843, the crew of a Prussian schooner locked up their captain for being tyrannical and violent. Also, how to make sea pudding.

www.culina-vetus.de/2026/03/18/o...

#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #sailorsfood #eattherich #Victorian

Front page of a poem published in 1490. The woodcut shows Hans Behm kneeling in a stylised landscape, dressed in peasant clothing - a jacket and hood, with a herdsman's bag and staff and a knife at his belt. He is holding a drum and flute. A dog lies as his feet and a herd of (probably) sheep stand next to him. A vision of the Virgin Mary is seen in the sky to the left. Behem was a cowherd and not, as far as we know, a musician. That claim was made later as a way of disparaging his charcter.

Coloured woodcut from the Schedelsche Weltchronik. Published in Nuremberg recounting the history of the world, this work considered events in Niklashausen important enough to illustrate. The picture shows a group of men and women dressed in outdoor clothing seated in front of a building while Hans Behem, here dressed in a wide-sleeved robe and matching hat, preaches from the window. The figure behind him represents the somewhat enigmatic monk who advised him and was later claimed to be a demon. In the background, we see a chapel surrounded by tall procession candles and a village with one house displaying a sign that beer is for sale.

In 1476, a charismatic lay preacher set off a mass religious protest over the right to fish and forage. It ended badly. Also, a recipe for fish soup.

www.culina-vetus.de/2026/03/15/f...

#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #medievalsky #eattherich #commons

Pear Helene, Modiifed Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Nutrition News Food Events Nutrient Analysis

Pears Helene, created by chef Auguste Escoffier, a timeless French dessert of poached pears, vanilla ice cream, & warm chocolate sauce, inspired by "La belle Hélène." A classic blend of elegance & flavor! #CulinaryHistory #PearsHelene #portioncontrol dietitians-online.blogspot.com/2021/03/pear...

Now available! This book is a delectable history of macaroni and cheese, tracing an extraordinary journey of cultural exchange and social change. buff.ly/0D86oU4 #MacAndCheese #FoodHistory #CulinaryHistory #SoulFood #CulturalHistory

Maderbräustraße in Munich, the epicentre of the 1844 riots. A black-and-white photograph of an empty city street with church towers in the background. The photograph was taken about 3 decades later, but the Maderbräu building still existed then. It is visible in the left foreground.

For four days in in May of 1844, protesters controlled Munich and the army refused to fight them. We do not talk enough about these things. Also, a #Dampfnudeln recipe from the #19thcentury.

www.culina-vetus.de/2026/03/12/f...

#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #eattherich

The first page of the Solothurn Cod S 293 manuscript. The photograph shows a damaged page of a calligraphed manuscript. The text block begins with a large, elaborately coloured initial I and is surrounded by a floral border decoration on its left side and bottom.

I'm starting on a new source translation, Solothurn Cod S 293 (c. 1500), and here is a very upmarket honey-mustard pickle:

www.culina-vetus.de/2026/03/11/n...

#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #earlymodern #medievalsky

#1: Comoros. Sweet Pea Soup with Coconut and Ginger Of all the countries where this project could have started, it never in a million years occurred to me that it might be Comoros.

The first country post of the Passport to Eat project is now out in the world!

(Cooking one dish from every country in the world.)

#foodculture #histfood #culinaryhistory

passporttoeat.substack.com/p/1-comoros-...

French fries aren't called "FRENCH" because they were invented in France. They're actually from Belgium where potatoes were originally chopped into fry shape using the guillotine. Follow for more #CulinaryHistory facts.

Hussites breaking the rules. A fifteenth-century drawing showing improvised field fortification defended by infantry. Four large wagons are drawn up in a perimeter around a tent. Several armoured men are shown defending the front wagons with flails, crossbows, a handgun, and thrown rocks. Larger guns and other weapons are shown on the rear wagons. An unarmoured man is standing inside the perimeter carrying what looks like a bundle of sticks, maybe spears. The front of the tent is marked with a chalice, the insignia of the Hussite rebellion representing their demand for receiving both bread and wine during Eucharist. Bohemian commoners fighting on foot inflicted a series of stinging defeats on successive crusading armies in 1420-1434 following the betrayal, arrest, and burning of theologian Jan Hus.

Grünkern was eaten in the mountainous areas of Bohemia and nearby. They also had a long tradition of throwing officials out of windows and not fighting fair.

www.culina-vetus.de/2026/03/03/f...

#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #medievalsky #crusadefail

Thirteenth-century miniature from a German chronicle depicting the defeat of the Stedinger army by the crusaders. The picture shows a confrontation between peasant fighters on the left and crusaders on the right. The Stedinger are shown barefoot, wearing knee-length tunics and long, full hair on their bare heads. They wield spears while the crusader army consists of fully armoured knights in mail shirts and chausses, with enclosed helmets, heraldic overcoats, shields, and swords. This difference in equipment was decisive when, after twenty years of resistance, the nobles violently disenfranchised the peasants of the Stedingerland. None of the demons lovingly described in the papal call for a crusade are in evidence here. They must have missed the battle.

Rüben - root vegetables - were the stereotypical rustic food of medieval Germany. Medieval rustics on at least one occasion required a crusade to subdue - the Stedingerkreuzzug of 1232-34.

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#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #medievalsky #eattherich

A nineteenth-century botanical illustration of peas. The image shows a branch with leaves, flowers, immature and mature pods. Side illustrations surround it showing tendrils, the interior of the flower, and a close-up of the seed.

Most traditional recipes use dried peas. This one, from Balthasar Staindl's 1547 cookbook, serves them fresh from the pod, with bacon.

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#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #earlymodern

A Quiet Evolution of Bread, Sausage, and Belonging | Culinary History (Teaser) A simple sausage on bread carries more history than we might expect. From European hearths to American street carts and modern kitchens, this Culinary History reflection follows the quiet evolution of the hotdog sandwich — a story of migration, practicality, and the enduring human instinct to nourish and belong.

A sausage on bread isn’t just a meal —
it’s a story carried across borders and generations.

From hearth to street to home,
this Culinary History reflection traces the quiet evolution of an everyday food. #CulinaryHistory
#FoodHistory
#FoodAnthropology
#EverydayFood

🥯 Watch our interview with Varud Gupta on his upcoming course"New York City Food Cultures: From Page to Plate"!

🍕 Starts Apr 8.

🔗 https://bit.ly/48ukp8B

#NYCFood #CulinaryHistory #NewYorkCity

The famous caravan of Michal Drzymala on its way to being displayed in Krakow. The black-and-white photograph shows a street scene in a small town. A caravan drawn by two horses stands in the middle of the street. Numerous people in early 20th-century clothing line the street to watch. Houses and a church steeple can be seen in the background. The writing above identifies this scene as playing out in Grodzisk

Here's a feelgood story about how one Polish farmer made the Prussian police look like idiots. And a recipe for a cake that Poles and Germans agree is delicious: Streuselkuchen.

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#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #eattherich #cake #transnationalhistory

A wooden plate with smoked fish, rye bread, and mustard, the latter probably out of place for 9th-century Saxony.

Illumination depicting Lothar I. The picture shows the emperor seated on a throne, dressed in a highly stylised red cloak and blue tunic, holding a sceptre. Two helmeted guardsmen frame the back of his throne, filling out the background.

Community, food, and unrest in 9th century Saxony, and why not to trust the word of kings. Stellinga!

www.culina-vetus.de/2026/02/19/f...

#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #feasting #medievalsky #eattherich

A 1575 map of Emden showing the town from a bird's eye view. The town of Emden, surrounded by walls and ditches, has two large bodies of water used as harbours extending into its centre. The Ems river is shown flowing across the bottom of the map, dotted with sailing ships. On the bottom right, four figures are shown: A wealthy citizen woman and man, a sailor with a long stave used to push boats along the canals, and a farming woman.

An attempt to recreate a herring Eyerkuchen according to the recipe above. The round Eyerkuchen is resting on a green plate, a section already cut out and served. Dark brown onion slices and flaked pieces of herring are visible across its top.

A North German recipe for Eyerkuchen from 1598, and the Emden Revolution, one of the few instances where an #earlymodern revolt was 100% successful.

www.culina-vetus.de/2026/02/16/f...

#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #Frisia #eattherich

Photograph of protests against fare increases. The picture is from Kiel in 1968 because I could find no copyright-free ones from Hannover. A tram is shown standing on the left of the picture, hemmed in and blocked by a crowd of demonstrators surrounding it on three sides. There are no placards or symbols in evidence. A small number of police officers, recognisable by their white caps, are keeping a small area in front of the tram clear and may be regretting their career choice at this point.

Looking at a time when #pizza was an exotic delicacy and activism improved #publictransit. A heartening tale from 1960s Germany.

www.culina-vetus.de/2026/02/13/f...

#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #eattherich #mutualaid

An 1862 engraving of the scene at Harzburg chapel in 1075. This very imaginative reconstruction shows an open sarcophagus in the crypt surrounded by Saxon rebels dressed in what looks like surplus Wagner stage props. A man holding a mace is shining the light of his torch on the dead body in the coffin while a second, holding a spear, points down at it. Behind them, a figure wearing a horned helmet holds up a sword and seems to be making a speech. In the left background, a crucifix lies abandoned on the floor. Such fanciful reconstructions of medieval history were very much in vogue during the 19th century. This one is from an Austrian book which suggests its view of the Saxons was less heroic than it would have been north of the border.

A speculative reconstruction of mashed beans and an 11th century story of an imperial crown dropped down a well while its owner was running from a peasant army.

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#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #eattherich #medievalsky

A Hamburg harbour pub in 1899. The photo shows a cellar entrance with iron railings. Numerous children stand around the stairs. A sign over the door indicates this is a hostelry and breakfast restaurant while the smaller one to the side of the entrance advertises jobs for riverboat machinists. Publicans served as middlemen in the port's job market and unofficially required jobseekers to spend a certain amount on drinks before they provided contacts. This was one of the strikers' main grievances in 1896 and would not be fully remedied until the 20th century.

A handbill distributed during the strike. The text in German Fraktur print reads: “Strike in the Port of Hamburg! No worker who values his honour will take a bit of work in the port during the strike!”

More food for revolution and resistance: Labskaus and the #Hamburg dockworkers' strike of 1896/97. Meat, potatoes, beets, pickles, and #union solidarity.

www.culina-vetus.de/2026/02/09/f...

#foodhistory #culinaryhistory #eattherich #Victorian

A 1772 engraving from a book on the life and trial of famous poacher Matthias Klostermayr. The picture shows a large body of soldiers in front of an inn set in a snowbound landscape. The troop surround a horse-drawn sled on which the arrested Klostermayr and members of his gang are seated in preparation of conveying them to their trial. The subtitle indicates that this scene depicts the location accurately and identifies the arresting officer as Premier-Lieutenant Schedel of Dillingen.

More on revolutions and food: Two venison recipes from the #18thcentury with #medieval roots, and a story of poaching as social banditry in Bavaria.

www.culina-vetus.de/2026/02/08/f...

#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #earlymodern #socialbanditry #eattherich

An 1872 steel engraving showing an idealised view of the homeless encampments - we would call them shantytowns today - of Berlin. A newly evicted family has assembled its belongings on the ground in a field. They are building a shack of boards, the husband hammering roofing in place while the wife is handing up a piece of wood. Furniture, kitchen equipment and a stove are arranged in front while a cradly with a sleeping baby awaits the new roof to the right, watched over by two older siblings. Other shacks and a windmill are visible in the background while gasometers and factories dominate the skyline.

I found the 1870 recipes from the #Volksküchen of #Berlin, and records an 1872 rent riot to go with them. Buletten and Brickbats.

www.culina-vetus.de/2026/02/02/f...

#foodhistory #culinaryhistory #eattherich #homelessness

A still life painting of two walnuts seen up close.

No revolution today, just two recipes - about a hundred years apart - for honey-spice walnuts. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds good.

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#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #earlymodern #medievalsky

Woodcut from the title page of a 1525 print of the Twelve Articles. This catalogue of demands by the organised peasantry included the abolition of serfdom, election of parish priests, controlled rents, access to the commons of pasture, wood, and water, an end to predatory courts, and fair labour exactions. The picture shows peasants under arms. The man in the centre is wearing torso armour, a helmet, and a mail skirt, and is armed with a large, single-edged sword and a hunting spear. He is surrounded by less well-armoured, but armed and equipped peasants ready for war. On the right, a flag bearing a ploughshare is flying over an assortment of pikes, flails, halberds, and a pitchfork.

I'm going with the vibe: How to feed a peasant revolt. #Sixteenth-century mashed peas and pork

www.culina-vetus.de/2026/01/31/f...

#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #earlymodern #peasantwar #revolution #resistance

Woodcut from Leonhart Fuchs' herbal. The black-and-white illustration shows an oat stalk with ripe grains, from root to ears. After printing, a buyer could have it coloured in, and in many surviving copies of the book, it is. Fuchs' book was famous for its numerous, detailed and accurate illustrations.

The good news is there is an actual sixteenth century description of what gayßlitz is and how to make it. The bad news is, I cannot figure out what it says, except there's oats involved.

www.culina-vetus.de/2026/01/29/a...

#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #earlymodern #medievalsky

How Italian Food Became an American Staple 1881-2023 Everybody loves Italian food. Yet the idea of a single Italian cuisine took time to coalesce, if it ever really has. Even after It...

Fifty menus illustrate some of the people and places behind the remarkable ascent of Italian cuisine in the United States. #food #culinaryhistory #Italiancuisine
www.theamericanmenu.com/2025/11/how-...

Frontispiece of the first (1547) edition of Balthasar Staindl's Künstlichs und nutzlichs Kochbuch held at the Bayrische Staatsbibliothek. The image shows a woodcut of a richly equipped and busy kitchen. The master cook is standing to the left of the large masonry hearth, tasting the contents of a large cookpot stood next to the fire while a cauldron is suspended above it. Two men in the background seem to be addressing him. In the right foreground, another man is cutting meat on a work surface set up atop a wooden trough on trestles. Carcasses and a large sausage are shown suspended on the wall in the background. Everything about this image - the size, the range of equipment, the exclusively male staff, the amounts of meat on display - signals wealth. This is the kind of kitchen you would expect to find in the house of a rich burgher or landed nobleman. The motif recurs in many German cookbooks of the fifteenth and sixteenth century.

I had heard of #zurek, but this #sourdough and #bran soup recipe from 1547 still surprised me quite a bit. I should try it, I think I'll hate it.

www.culina-vetus.de/2026/01/28/s...

#culinaryhistory #foodhistory #earlymodern

Pate de fruits of various types, cut into cubes and packaged in transparent foil resting on a basket. I did not make these, the picture is from wikimedia commons.

These recipes are trivial around so many more important things, but friends told me they value them especially in these time. Fruit Paste #sweets from 1547, very much like pate de fruits. Slava Heroiam and FuckICE.

www.culina-vetus.de/2026/01/25/f...

#foodhistory #culinaryhistory #earlymodern