Author Archives: carlton_bach

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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Feeding the Revolution: Bouletten and Brickbats

Posted on 2 February 2026 by carlton_bach

In 1872, the Prussian army, freshly returned from its overwhelming victory against France, was considered the best military in the world, and the Leibgarde regiments the finest in its ranks. On 26 July of that year, the man of Gardegrenadierregiment … Continue reading →

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Honey-Pickled Walnuts Again

Posted on 1 February 2026 by carlton_bach

Not much time to write tonight, but here is a recipe from Staindl that is so close to the earlier manuscript tradition we can assume direct transmission. Preserved nuts ccxliii) Take the nuts while they are still unripe (koßlig), about … Continue reading →

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Feeding the Revolution: Mashed Peas and Pork

Posted on 31 January 2026 by carlton_bach

I like to keep the content here fairly strictly food history related, but recent events have impressed me very deeply, and I think it is time to address the slide into authoritarianism and the people who put their lives on … Continue reading →

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Another Sourdough Recipe – Gayßlitz of Oats

Posted on 29 January 2026 by carlton_bach

Staindl’s cookbook includes another recipe using sourdough starter, and I’m baffled. To prepare Gayßlitz cclxix) Have oats milled, but they must not be milled too finely. Then take sourdough (urhab) and soak it as though to make bread, (the quantity) … Continue reading →

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Sourdough Soup

Posted on 28 January 2026 by carlton_bach

This is a very interesting recipe from Balthasar Staindl’s cookbook. His name for it translates as ‘dust soup’: Staub soup cclxvii) Take three egg yolks to a table (auff ain tisch). Salt them and beat them well. Then take the … Continue reading →

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Fruit Paste Sweets

Posted on 25 January 2026 by carlton_bach

Here are two more interesting and potentially delicious recipes from Balthasar Staindl. They look a bit like the ancestry of pate de fruits: Perni (?) sauce ccxxxviii) These are red berries that you plant in gardens. Also break them off … Continue reading →

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