The Cuisine of Sigismund II Augustus: Food and Its Supply in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania According to the Data in the Court Account Books of 1543–1546

The article’s objective is to reveal what food products were used in the cuisine of Sigismund II Augustus and in what ways they were supplied when the Ruler resided in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, according to the data of the court account books of 1543–1546. The topis has not been exhaustively studied thus far. Researchers have not given the analysis of these court account books through the prism of cuisine suffi cient attention. The analysis shows that plenty of different kinds of meat – of domestic and wild animals and birds – were delivered to the court kitchen of the Ruler. When the Ruler resided in Vilnius Lower Castle during fasting, pikes from about 20 ponds constructed in Viršupis estate were supplied. Additionally, Elders of the Ruler’s estates sent diff erent types of fish. Also, dairy products were consumed, such as eggs, bread, cereals and sweet baked products, local vegetables and fruit as well as imported lemons, rice and a variety of spices. Beer, mead and wine – the accounts mention Rhine and Hungarian ones – were supplied to the Ruler’s court. The court account books of 1543–1546 are the vital source that reveals the assortment of food products and their supply.