Monthly Archives: February 2026

Fresh Peas with Bacon

Posted on 26 February 2026 by carlton_bach

I’m looking forward to a hands-on workshop of historic cheesemaking at the weekend, so there may not be any longer posts for a couple of days, but before I leave, here is one more tidbit from Balthasar Staindl: Green peas … Continue reading →

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Feeding the Revolution: Cheap Sausages, Dear Grain

Posted on 24 February 2026 by carlton_bach

The year was 1483 and the nunnery of Harvestehude near Hamburg was exceptionally noisy. A clerical visitation – basically an inspection to ensure the strictures of monastic life were not too far relaxed – had arrived from the bishop of … Continue reading →

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Leguminous Porridges

Posted on 22 February 2026 by carlton_bach

I am changing to a new computer and a Linux-based operating system (something those of us outside the USA should consider due to geopolitical risk, and those within to minimise personal risk). Getting used to the different surface and learning … Continue reading →

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Feeding the Revolution: Civil Disobedience Crumbcake

Posted on 20 February 2026 by carlton_bach

In 1904 in the village of Kaisertreu situated in the Prussian province of Posen, police began observing a daily ritual that would soon attract national and international attention. Every morning, a uniformed officer representing the fulsome authority of the all-highest … Continue reading →

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Feeding the Revolution: Loaves, Fish, and Old Gods

Posted on 19 February 2026 by carlton_bach

We have already met the Saxon peasantry as they attempted to rid themselves of feudal overlordship, but this was hardly the only instance they gave their rulers trouble. In 841, as the Empire founded by Charlemagne was facing the prospect … Continue reading →

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Feeding the Revolution: Pamphlets and Pancakes

Posted on 16 February 2026 by carlton_bach

Today, Emden is mostly a tourist destination; A pretty, oldfashioned town in a remote corner of the country. If most people have heard anything about the region of East Frisia that surrounds it, it is most likely the Ostfriesenwitze – … Continue reading →

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Feeding the Revolution: Pizza and Public Transit

Posted on 13 February 2026 by carlton_bach

Today, many Europeans look at the late 1960s as the “Good Old days”, but they did not necessarily feel like that to the people alive at the time. It was, after all, a scary age, one of confusing change and … Continue reading →

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Feeding the Revolution: Bean Porridge and Saxon Law

Posted on 11 February 2026 by carlton_bach

Castles hold a special place in our imagination of the Middle Ages, but at the time, having one in the vicinity was not always good news. The people of Saxony learned in the 1060s that armed imperial retainers ensconced behind … Continue reading →

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Feeding the Revolution: Longshoremen’s Labskaus

Posted on 9 February 2026 by carlton_bach

If there was a period in the history of Hamburg properly called its golden age, 1896 must come very close to it. Germany’s leading port, one of the largest in the world, was growing by leaps and bounds. Through its … Continue reading →

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Feeding the Revolution: Illicit Venison

Posted on 8 February 2026 by carlton_bach

Picture the scene: A business premises owned by a fence turned snitch, surrounded by militarised law enforcement in massive numbers. A gang of violent criminals is cornered, their escape foiled, their weapons sabotaged. After a vicious gunfight, they are arrested … Continue reading →

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