‘Take almaundes blaunched …’ Cookbooks in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Times
Dorothee Rippmann
Culinary Art History and Marketing Strategies: Klagefurt, 71-85 (2010)
Abstract
Throughout history, the production of food and the preparation of dishes have displayed cultural achievements through short- lived products, since they are destined to be consumed immediately. For that reason, this special type of human creativity generally eludes the inquiring eye of historians. Nourishment as part of a material culture of the past ultimately remains intangible for posterity. As opposed to a document written on parchment or paper, or a piece of art like a sculpture or a painting, we are not able to inspect the creations of medieval culinary art; the aroma of erstwhile dishes has disappeared forever. A far-of memory, a stale aftertaste in a manner of speaking, remains preserved for posterity in the media of cooking recipes, collections of recipes, and cookbooks.
On the bookshelves of modern households, collections of cookbooks – we could call them a popular and self-selling type of guidebooks – can be found. Part of them are books on nursing and feeding a baby, solely addressing mothers. Cooking literature covers everything between gourmet specialities, aimed at gastronomes, and the basic needs for healthy nourishment for mother and child; depending on the price, the book is directed at a group of buyers that worship luxury and exclusiveness or to the Average Joe (and Joanna respectively).
Dorothee Rippmann
Culinary Art History and Marketing Strategies: Klagefurt, 71-85 (2010)
Abstract
Throughout history, the production of food and the preparation of dishes have displayed cultural achievements through short- lived products, since they are destined to be consumed immediately. For that reason, this special type of human creativity generally eludes the inquiring eye of historians. Nourishment as part of a material culture of the past ultimately remains intangible for posterity. As opposed to a document written on parchment or paper, or a piece of art like a sculpture or a painting, we are not able to inspect the creations of medieval culinary art; the aroma of erstwhile dishes has disappeared forever. A far-of memory, a stale aftertaste in a manner of speaking, remains preserved for posterity in the media of cooking recipes, collections of recipes, and cookbooks.
On the bookshelves of modern households, collections of cookbooks – we could call them a popular and self-selling type of guidebooks – can be found. Part of them are books on nursing and feeding a baby, solely addressing mothers. Cooking literature covers everything between gourmet specialities, aimed at gastronomes, and the basic needs for healthy nourishment for mother and child; depending on the price, the book is directed at a group of buyers that worship luxury and exclusiveness or to the Average Joe (and Joanna respectively).
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