The history of the castle kitchen in Łańcut

Abstract

The article examines the history and activities of the castle kitchen in Łańcut from the second half of the 17th century until 1944. The results of the research are based on manuscript documents from the AGAD in Warsaw, the Library and Archives of the Łańcut Castle, the collections of the Department of manuscripts of the Vasyl Stefanyk Lviv National Library of Ukraine, and the memoirs of 19 th -century travellers. The changes that took place in the process of improving the kitchen workspace and organizing the work of the staff are an important testament to the culture that prevailed in the palaces and large estates of the Polish gentry. Special attention was paid to the portraits of former kitchen employees, the atmosphere around their workplace, and changes in public opinion about the work of a chef. Many research findings are presented for the first time. The results of the study will be useful for historians, anthropologists, and researchers of material culture.