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University and City Library of Cologne

Detailed view of the title page of Marx Rumpolt: Ein new Kochbuch, Frankfurt 1581. Signature: SB944. First textbook for the professional training of cooks.

Collection cookbooks

Historical cookbooks - windows into past worlds

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  • Dark beige cloth binding of the title: The Boston cooking-school cook book Enlarged view:
    Acquisition from BuchGourmet: The Boston cooking-school cook book / by Farmer, Fannie Merritt. - Boston, Mass : Little, Brown, 1925, shelfmark: 11C237
  • The cover of the title "Das Kochbuch aus Köln" shows a historical image of Cologne with its churches and the Rhine in the foreground. Enlarged view:
    From the USB stock of the Rhenish Department: The cookbook from Cologne : kitchen treasures from ancient times / by Söhngen, Günter, Willems, Karla. - Münster : Hölker, 1989. shelfmark: 12A142
  • Title page of Rumpolt, Marx, Ein new Kochbuch, Frankfurt 1581. In the center is a copperplate engraving depicting a kitchen situation: on the left a cook holds a pan in his hand, on the right a cook holds a saucepan and brings a spoon to her mouth. Enlarged view:
    USB old stock from the Syndicate Library: Rumpolt, Marx, Ein new Kochbuch, Frankfurt 1581. shelfmark: SB944 First textbook for the professional training of cooks.
  • Book cover of the title "Úlfar og fiskarnir" with a photo of a dish with salmon and salad. Enlarged view:
    From the USB Iceland collection: Úlfar og fiskarnir / by Úlfar Eysteinsson, Erla Sigurðardóttir. - Reykjavik : PP Forlag, 2003 Signature: ISLG147
Germany's first address for cookbooks: BuchGourmet bookshop at Hohenzollernring 16-18

From 1987 to 2013, BuchGourmet, Germany's first and largest specialist bookshop for cookbooks, was based in Cologne. The antiquarian section of Dieter Eckel's range included not only modern cookbooks, but also historical ones. When the store was closed in 2013, USB Cologne acquired around 150 antiquarian cookbooks published before 1945. Initially, the primary aim was to preserve a part of Cologne's book history, as BuchGourmet, like other antiquarian bookshops, has shaped the city's bookselling life.
 

Antiquarian cookbooks: acquisitions with a geographical connection

When dealing with the subject of "cookery books", however, it quickly became clear that this type of book was not as exotic for the USB as initially assumed. Cookbooks with a connection to the Rhineland and the region's typical cuisine had been coming into the museum via the "Rhineland Department" for over 100 years. But cookbooks can also be found in other collections with a geographical connection, such as the Iceland collection or the Benelux collection. These cookbooks were, of course, scattered throughout the collection and used to be assigned to the "Chemistry" subject. And even the founding collection of the USB, the so-called Syndicate Library (the library of the Cologne City Council), contains the "New Cookbook" by Marx Rumpolt, the first textbook for professional chefs in training to date, published in 1581. As the free imperial city of Cologne had to cater for foreign guests, professional literature in this field was essential.

 
Virtual cookbook collection: concept and future

In order to bring together the cookbooks already in the collection into a virtual cookbook collection, the title records are provided with a corresponding collection note. The collection will also be expanded in the future by purchasing corresponding titles for the Iceland and Rhineland collections in accordance with the existing acquisition profile. In addition, cookbooks are added to the collection that are donated or acquired as part of the collection. However, there is no separate budget for the acquisition of any cookbooks.

Maintaining this collection is not an end in itself. Cookbooks provide direct evidence of the reality of people's lives and are an important source for economic and social history. As cookbooks were not considered consumer goods worthy of preservation, older copies in particular are rare and therefore all the more worthy of protection.

The cookbook collection includes the titles acquired by "BuchGourmet" as well as titles from various USB collections, including

Contact person for the cookbook collection: