Lunch Like Luther

The German Society is partnering with the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) to bring you Lunch Like Luther, an educational Reformation-era meal in recognition of the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation. Join us for a taste of Martin Luther’s everyday life.

Many are familiar with Martin Luther’s role in reforming the Christian Church. Daily life in the early 1500s, however, is a topic that does not often cross our minds. How did Martin Luther live on a day to day basis? What occupied his time? And what did he eat?

This event seeks to answer that last question. Using translations of recipes from cookbooks published during Luther’s lifetime in the area where he lived, our friends at the SCA will create a meal of dishes that Martin Luther is likely to have eaten. The menu is designed to show off some popular types of foods in Renaissance Germany, including Show Dishes, Disguised Dishes, and the difference between middle class food and princely food. The recipes stick very closely to the originals, but will show that the food eaten in Renaissance times can be very tasty to the modern palate. And while some things, such as fried apples, never went out of style, other foods such as almond milk are coming back in fashion again.

Our Menu

On the Table:  Carrots with Must and Spices,  Roasted Onion Salad,  Cucumber with vinegar and oil,  Zitronensaft (Lemonade),  Hazelnut Water

Luther’s Course:  Turnip Soup,  Mustard cabbage,  Chicken Pasty,  Rainworms from Peas

Elector’s Course:  Asparagus after Hieronymus Bosch,  Fish Pastry (Trout or Carp/Catfish),  Roasted Beef with Lord’s Sauce or Sauce of Shallots,  Boiled Dumplings,  Mus of Mushrooms

Dessert Board:  Prottwirst -Lenten “sausage”- spiced ground figs in batter,  Apple Puffs,  Pear Tart,  Almond Jelly

Image: Still Life with Cheeses, Artichoke, and Cherries by Clara Peeters, ca. 1625