Chef Stanisław Czerniecki Reccomends

Cooking can be an art; cook can be an artist, as was Stanisław Czerniecki at the Lubomirski family court in Wiśnicz. The set of his recipes published in 1682 entitled “COMPENDIUM FERCULORUM or a collection of dishes” („COMPENDIUM FERCULORUM albo zebranie potraw”) is considered to be the first Polish cookery book. This surprising work does not treat only of procedures, as a result of which edible dish is made. This is a book about how to stimulate the taste and imagination, how to surprise guests, charm them with appearance and way of serving dishes. Czerniecki himself, the chef of the Lubomirski family, wrote in the dedication to Princess Helena Tekla Lubomirska: “Since there was no one before me who wanted to show the world such a needful thing in our Polish language, I dared, under the protection of my Lady and Greatly Merciful Benefactress with my ineptitude, to write Compendium ferculorum or a collection of dishes, and show it to the Polish world”. Czerniecki enjoyed the honourable title of the royal secretary, but above all he was a chef of the governor of Kraków Aleksander Michał Lubomirski and that is where he found a place in Polish history. The author of “Compendium Ferculorum”, a diligent reader of the collection of foreign recipes, was well aware that his work was the first Polish cookery book, which filled him with pride. The culinary art for Czerniecki was indeed the essence of humanity. As he wrote himself “chef in the Polish language sounds cooking teacher”. Above all, Czerniecki’s pride is visible in this concise definition; in his eyes, a chef is not only a cook superior, kitchen supervisor and high court official, but above all, a creator and artist who can share his talent, skills and knowledge with others. Ranking the chef among the creators results not only from his personal qualities, but also significance of the matter he deals with. The life legacy of Stanisław Czerniecki “COMPENDIUM FERCULORUM or a collection of dishes” – Old Polish original text written in a very colourful language, illustrated with images of the most valuable works of art from the collection of Wilanów and explained by contemporary experts on the subject – was released in such a beautiful form due to the cooperation of the Wilanów Palace Museum, Nicolaus Copernicus University and the Princes Lubomirski Foundation. The book can be purchased at the online shop of the Museum at – http://sklep.wilanow-palac.pl/stanislaw-czerniecki-compendium-ferculorum-albo-zebranie-potraw-p-199.html

Stanisław Czerniecki “COMPENDIUM FERCULORUM or a collection of dishes” edited by Jarosław Dumanowski and Magdalena Spychaj, with an introduction by Stanisław Lubomirski, edition II, Warsaw 2010, 240 pages, 70 illustrations, ISBN 978-83-60959-97-8.

source: http://www.wilanow-palac.pl/compendium_ferculorum.html