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'Travelling' Recipes in Austrian eighteenth-century manuscript recipe books.

Styria can hardly be imagined without its ubiquitous pumpkin. With its long shoots, the Styrian oilseed pumpkin (cucurbita pepo ssp. pepo var. styriaca) is particularly popular as it does not only create identity but also holds large economic potential considering the countless products made from the vegetable, such as pumpkinseed oil, pasta, jams, soaps and many other items. It seems as if the vegetable has always been cultivated in this region and has enjoyed at least some degree of esteem. The historical perspective reveals, however, that pumpkins as a culinary trait of Styria's food culture are far from being as old as various marketing policies try to make us believe. The vegetable, which is a native of Central America, arrived in Europe not before the 16th century. In Styria, it was not accepted as foodstuff for a long time. Similar to potatoes, pumpkins were regarded as pig feed. However, there is evidence that the consumption of pumpkinseed oil dates back to the late 17th century. In the second half of the 18th century, bad harvests and similar disasters led to food shortages and famines. In 1773, under the rule of Joseph II, an information pamphlet was published and widely distributed among the populace. The aim of this 'publicity campaign' was to promote the cultivation and consumption of pumpkins. The pamphlet also contained a number of pumpkin recipes to compensate for the grain scarcity. This paper analyses the effectiveness of these measures by examining references to pumpkin in cookery books of the time. The analysis includes fifteen cookery books from the late 17th to the mid 19th century which were printed in the city of Graz. This study illustrates political approaches towards the improvement of the food situation in the late 18th century, while establishing the extent of acceptance by the populace or parts thereof.

Late Eighteenth- and Early-Nineteenth Century Manuscript Recipe/Cookery Books

Michael Endes collection of narratives 'Der Spiegel im Spiegel. Ein Labyrinth' can be classified within the tradition of fantastic literature and shows a significant reference fantastic painting especially to the works of his father, Edgar Ende. Inspired by his fathers paintings, Michael Ende created a collection of narratives consisting of thirty texts, in which every narrative itself has a relatively comprehensive plot and at the same time always is - through certain elements - appearing in diverse contexts connected with the other texts. The locations of the plot are frequently characterized by a surreal decor, however, through modern elements like machine guns, refer to the everyday world of 20th century recipients. A recurring theme is the question of the protagonists identity, which on the one hand, through invasions of their formerly controlled environment, are forced to think about the stability of the reality surrounding them and on the other hand, to deal with their own Selves and how they are endangered by their owners not paying enough attention to them and through the neglect of others. One of the main characteristics of the always-popular fantastic literature - which although literary criticism, however, has difficulties to adequately define - lies in the subversive play with the seemingly fixed reality of its protagonists.

Concilium medii aevi, Bd. 13 (2010): Concilium medii aevi

von Helga Müllneritsch

von Helga Müllneritsch