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

Abstract

The objective of the present article is to reveal what food products were used in the cuisine of King Sigismund II Augustus and what were the ways of their supply when the Ruler resided in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania according to the data in the court account books of 1543–1546. The following issues will be addressed in the article: the supply of meat to the court kitchen of Sigismund II Augustus and its use; the consumption and supply of fish; the consumption of dairy products and eggs; bread, cereals, and sweet baked products on the Ruler’s menu; the assortment of vegetables and fruits; a variety of spices and their supply; the consumption of beverages.

Food Products and Dishes on the Table of Władysław IV Vasa, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania

“…Šie produktai buvo svarbūs įvairių kepinių ingredientai. Žinome, kad ir ankstesnių valdovų virtuvėje iš varškės ir šviežių sūrių buvo kepami saldūs pyragai [15,106]. 1633 m. receptų knyga atskleidžia, kad į daugelio desertų sudėtį įėjo kiaušiniai, kelių desertų receptuose pagrindiniai ingredientai buvo pienas arba sūris (žr.…”

“…Vladislovo Vazos, kaip ir jo tėvo, virtuvės sąskaitose neminimi agurkai [22,706]. Nerandame čia ir ridikų, nors sezono metu jie papildydavo ankstesnių valdovų meniu [15,108].…”

Dietary Stories of One Household: Multi-proxy Study of Food Remains at Dominikonų St. 11 in Vilnius Between 15th-18th Century

“…Especially, when food is not purchased but rather locally grown and collected or wild animals were hunted down, one can find evidence of past foodways only from archaeological datasets. A broad picture of historical cuisine can be drawn from the works of historians, but again, it is often based on historical sources, like, account books where food sources of monarch or nobility are presented (Dambrauskaitė 2021;Laužikas 2014, Margienė-Zarankaitė 2018, thus lacking the information about the commoner's diet or the extent of certain food consumption among various levels of society. On the other hand, some spic-es or herbs, fragile saffron stigmas are unlikely to preserve archaeologically, thereby we almost have no records of them, while historical information hold records about their use (Hjelle 2007, 173).…”