The Kitchen, Food, and Cooking in Reformation Germany

by Volker Bach

In international culinary history, Germany is still largely a blank space, its unparalleled wealth of source material and large body of published research available only to readers of German. This books aims to give everybody else an overview of German foodways at a crucial juncture in its history. The Reformation era, broadly speaking from the Imperial Reforms of the 1480s to the beginning of the Thirty Years’ War, laid the foundations for many developments in German culture, language, and history, not least the notion of its existence as a country. Understanding the food traditions and habits of the time is important to anyone studying Germany’s culinary history and identity.

Using original source material, food production, processing and consumption are explored with a view to the social significance of food and the practicalities of feeding a growing population. Food habits across the social spectrum are presented, looking at the foodways of rich and poor in city and country. The study shows a foodscape richly differentiated by region, class, income, gender and religion, but united by a shared culinary identity that was just beginning to emerge. An appendix of recipes helps the reader gain an appreciation of the practical aspects of food in the age of Martin Luther.

218 pages, Hardcover

Published September 30, 2016

Reviews

[Rebecca Harwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an indispensable resource on the food culture of 16th century Germany. From the larder to the table, from rich to poor, this book represents the most complete picture that's available in the English language of eating, cooking, and all of the social aspects thereof in early modern Germany. Even for German speakers, it's worthwhile for the way it collects the information from so many varied sources which would otherwise take months or years to investigate. Bach has also helpfully included a collection of recipes of the time period and a glossary of German cooking terms. An absolute must-have for anyone looking for a grounding in the topic or planning to write about every day life in this period.