Kogekunst og kogebøger – nogle eksempler fra 1800-tallets første halvdel

Resumé

Madens historie er på vej ind i varmen. For en generation siden blev emnet betragtet som kuriøst; det gør det ikke længere. I 2005 udsendte Forskningsrådet for Kultur og Kommunikation rapporten Kost og kultur – humanistisk fødevareforskning. I kølvandet på den er der kommet flere publikationer, og bemærkelsesværdigt er, at også kogebøgerne som kilde er blevet inddraget. Caroline Nyvang har i en stor og grundig studie placeret 1800-tallets kogebøger i medie- og samfundsbilledet, mens Carol Gold ser på dem mentalitetshistorisk. Min vinkel på kogebøgerne er den, der i international forskning benævnes culinary history; det vil sige, hvordan tilberedes retterne, hvordan er smag og duft, hvordan skifter det efter mode og vilkår. For ti år siden bragte Bol & By, Landbohistorisk Tidsskrift 2:2002 min artikel om kogekunst og kogebøger med eksempler fra 1581 til 1793, og den foreliggende tekst er en fortsættelse heraf.

Summary

The art of cooking can only be practised if one has access to a great variety of fresh food, spices and flavours, and the skill and will to create dishes. For many centuries, therefore, this art was a matter only for the elite. The majority of people lived in a storehouse economy where the main task was to provide stores of food between harvests to avoid starvation. During the nineteenth century, major social changes took place; a middle class asserted itself and increased prosperity along with a healthy market economy gave access to fresh food. A bourgeois cuisine emerged side by side with the haute cuisine of the elite. The culinary style of the elite was French, an elegant and expensive cuisine based on “jus” (gravy), coulis and complicated ragouts. In middleclass cookery this luxury disappeared time after time, first by substitute preparations, and later the jus and cullis was abandoned totally. The French style weakened and influence from Germany and England took over. German cookery books were translated into Danish, and at the beginning of the nineteenth century many english dishes were introduced: such as curries, roast beef, beefsteaks, pies, trifle, pickles and many ready-made sauces. Turtle soup and ragouts for the upper class, and for the middle classes, the cheaper substitute mock turtle soup made from a calf’s head. At the same time, Danish dishes and other everyday dishes found their place in the cookery books. Six cookbooks are analysed. Two of them are based on a German book “Unterricht für ein junges Frauenzimmer” (1782), supplemented by recipes from older Danish cookbooks plus a few contemporary dishes. These books: “Køkkenkatekismus” and “Undervisning” were published in 1801 and 1816 respectively, but most of the material is based on dishes and recipes from the past. Professional writers are represented by the male cook Hans Henrich Petersen (1806) and the female housekeeper Margrethe Sophie Nielsen (1829, 1836, 1841). The main influence in both books is the French style (jus, cullis, ragouts), but are much simpler than the eighteenth century recipes. This style was totally abandoned by Anna Marie Mangor (1781-1864). She was a bourgeoise housewife and her books contain recipes from her urban middle class contemporaries. Her style is simple, based on broth, and her recipes are clear and ready to use, especially for those who are beginners in the kitchen. Her “Kogebog for smaa Huusholdninger” and ”Fortsættelse af Kogebog for smaa Huusholdninger” were published 1837 and 1842 respectively, and were republished again and again.