Kampernoelieu (Champinjons) In Doop (Ragout.)

This recipe comes from an early 18th-century Dutch cookbook, reflecting the refined but practical cooking style of the Republic's prosperous merchant classes. The use of mushrooms (champignons), butter, and fresh cream—or alternate thickeners like toasted flour or egg yolk—shows the adaptation of French culinary influences for home cooks in the Netherlands. At this time, mushrooms were becoming fashionable ingredients, and the dish would have been considered both modern and elegant; perfect for impressing guests at the start of a meal. Published in 1725 in Leyden, this cookbook is a snapshot of Dutch Golden Age gastronomy, combining local produce with cosmopolitan techniques. The accessibility of the recipe also shows how sophisticated flavors were increasingly making their way into everyday kitchens.

Cooks of the early 1700s would have used a sturdy brass or copper saucepan (casserool), a wooden spoon for stirring, and a sharp knife for dicing the mushrooms. A hearth with gentle coals or a cast-iron stove provided the heat, while butter or rendered pork fat would be kept on hand for sautéing. Small hand mills or mortars might be used for grinding pepper, while fresh parsley would be chopped with a simple kitchen knife on a wooden board. Cream would be sourced from the day's milking, and eggs and flour were pantry staples, allowing flexibility in thickening the sauce.