Krebs Schmalz-Koch

This recipe is drawn from a remarkable 1699 Viennese compendium authored (or at least compiled) by Duchess Eleonora Maria Rosalia of Troppau and Jägerndorf. The source is a fascinating blend of medical advice, charitable instruction, and practical household guidance, reflecting the era's belief in nourishing both body and soul. The recipe appears not in a specialist cookbook but in a more general treatise, demonstrating the close relationship between food, health, and hospitality in baroque households. Crayfish were considered both restorative and luxurious at the turn of the 18th century, and dishes like this one were popular at the tables of the aristocracy.

At the time, one would have used a heavy iron or copper pot for boiling the crayfish, wooden spoons for mixing, and a sturdy chopping knife for mincing the ingredients. Bread was soaked in a shallow ceramic or wooden bowl. The frying would be done over an open hearth or in a kitchen range, with the mixture stirred in a dedicated copper or earthenware pan. Pressing the soaked bread, as specified, would be accomplished by hand or with a simple press—nothing more elaborate was necessary. No mechanical food processors: all chopping and mixing was by hand or with a wooden pestle.