© Arenberg Auctions
The Antwerp auction house Arenberg Auctions has auctioned an eighteenth-century cookbook for a price of 9,600 euros. The book by a then caretaker was passed on from generation to generation and gives a good impression of culinary Antwerp at that time.
According to experts, although the book from 1788 is not unique, it is exceptionally well preserved and readable. It belonged to a certain Joanna Kortenbos, caretaker “at the tailor’s on the loose vest about Weirbrouck”. It contains dozens of recipes for the family where she worked, from just a few sentences long to very extensive and detailed.
The cookbook shows how dishes such as lobster soup, strawberry pie, and crème brulée were already known in the eighteenth century, and how exactly they were made then. In addition to recipes, it also contains some household tips and medical preparations.
“This is not only a cookbook, but also a time document that provides a special insight into daily life from cook to master in Antwerp,” says Henri Godts of Arenberg Auctions. “That is one of the reasons why this extraordinary amount was offered.”
