Ancient recipes in Sütterlin: Güstrow restaurateur inspires with cookbook!

Ancient recipes in Sütterlin: Güstrow restaurateur inspires with cookbook!

In Güstrow, tradition is very important, and not just when it comes to hearty food. Andy Haensch, the creative mind behind the Anmut Bar, has published a very special cookbook that revives the tastes of bygone times. His work, titled “My Old Cookbook,” includes old recipes written in the old Sütterlin script, a font that has a long and vibrant history in Germany. The Sütterlin font became popular in the 19th century and was widely used until it was banned by the Nazis in 1941. What’s special about it? Haensch can read writing fluently because he spent a lot of time with his grandparents as a child and studied their old family recipes.

In more than half a year, the restaurateur carefully read, transcribed and translated the approximately 200 recipes from a historical cookbook, presumably from the Nuremberg region, into modern German. The result is an impressive work with over 120 pages that not only provides an insight into the cooking traditions of the 19th century, but also covers various recipe categories. From soups to meat dishes to drinks, there is everything every gourmet's heart desires.

Ingredients for nostalgia

What is particularly noteworthy is that Haensch not only lets the older recipes appear in a new light, but also emphasizes the sustainability of the cuisine of the time. In these old recipes, nothing of the animal was wasted, something that is often forgotten in modern cuisine. An example from his book is the 150-year-old bread dumpling soup, which inspires. But macabre classics also find their place, such as the recipe for “Old Hen in Good Sauce”.

Haensch has integrated a crucial aspect of his cookbook: he combines the original pages of the old cookbook with its transcriptions so that readers have a direct connection to the historical text. There are also explanations of terms and quantities that make it easier to cook the recipes. The Kurrent alphabet, the basis of the Sütterlin script, is also included in the book. This font, developed by Ludwig Sütterlin, was taught in German schools from its introduction in 1915 until 1941 and for many today is a nostalgic memory of their school days.

A look into the future

“My old cookbook” can be easily ordered via the Anmut-Bar website, and the Uwe Johnson Library has already expressed interest in a copy. With his book, Haensch shows that the connection to the past remains alive through cooking and ancient writing. Many who grew up with Sütterlin can still read the writing and experience the old recipes in a new way. This is not only a good piece of local history, but also a culinary adventure that invites you to cook again. If you would like to try out the old Sütterlin script yourself, you will find various tools for deciphering the handwriting in family letters, such as on spiegel.de described.