The Old Polish cookbooks as the part of the Polish cooking heritage

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to describe the perception of food in the Old Polish cookbooks. Assuming that what is “food” is ultimately culturally and socially conditioned and constructed, an analysis of recipes contained in Compendium ferculorum [Collection of dishes] by Stanisław Czerniecki, Moda bardzo dobra smażenia różnych konfektów i innych słodkości [Very good fashion frying various confections and other sweets] and Kucharz doskonały [Perfect cook] by Wojciech Wincenty Wielądko was done. Referring to preserved archival materials and subject literature, nutritional practices and culinary tastes were recreated. That allowed to learn about the customs related to the culinary culture of the Old Polish period. The structure and content of the texts were discussed.