Polish Courtly Cuisine & Stanisław Czerniecki
September 1661, Łańcut. The impressive quadrilateral castle, both an elegant Baroque residence and an unconquered fortress, was getting ready for a wedding. Two mighty aristocratic families were to be joined in union: the Lubomirskis, the castle’s owners, and the Potockis. There were aristocratic guests coming from all around the Commonwealth of Two Nations, either in person or sending their envoys, as all close and distant family members and the political allies of the young couple's powerful parents were mobilized.
Father of the bride, Jerzy Sebastan Lubomirski, was a renowned statesman whose aim was to protect the aristocratic republic of Poland and Lithuania and a military leader famous for his victories in the Polish – Swedish wars. Three years after his daughter Krystyna’s wedding he would be stripped of all his positions and banished for being an ardent critic of the monarch. Then, he would lead a civil war to protect the traditional Polish-Lithuanian republicanism, he would win a decisive battle and decide to leave the country to stop the bloodshed. But in autumn of 1661 all these were still in the future and on everyone’s mind there was an aristocratic wedding party and a rather huge amount of old-Polish fun – 'magnate style’.
The actual ceremony was scheduled for Sunday, 18 September, the guests started to arrive on Friday and the actual wedding banquet lasted an entire week. The old-Polish aristocratic banquets were like theatre performances and guests were expecting to be dazzled by how the food looked and its rich taste. The feast was not a mere culinary event or a family ties celebration, it was supposed to send a clear message of power, social and political status of the bride’s family.
The scale of such a family party and amount of dishes to prepare was overwhelming. For a formal banquet there must have been at least three main courses, and some snacks in between were also customary and expected. A dinner would start with boiled, cooked or fried dishes with sauces, such as tripe, barszcz, rosół or Polish broth (by the way broth was considered a one pot dish rather than a soup), stews, dishes in aspic jellies, sausages and different vegetables. Then, the second course and roasts were brought to the table. Eventually, the third course consisted of fruit and puddings. The dishes were placed in big bowls or plates so that the people would share them.
Now, imagine that you are responsible for such party catering: the food must be plenty and magnificent both in taste and effect. Scary thought? No worries, we have a very good guide book on how to throw the perfect aristocratic party written by Stanisław Czerniecki, courtier of the Lubomirskis’ and an experienced kitchen and banquet manager.
In September 1661 Stanisław Czerniecki was one of the four kitchen managers working during the Lubomirskis’ wedding. In Polish his official court position was called kuchmistrz, in latin: magister or princeps coquorum. He was not a cook – or rather actual cooking skills were not high in his job description. His task was to provide suitable food for his patron’s banquet: to plan supplies, manage kitchen stuff, choose the right menu and… keep a reliable account of what was used for catering to report it to other court officials or directly to the patron. In most cases kuchmistrz was a noble man and a career courtier working for the other aristocrat or the king. It is believed that in case of Czerniecki his success as courtier and soldier gave him an aristocratic status granted by the king John III Sobieski in 1676.
It does not necessarily mean that he was not of noble origin as many less prominent families and individuals had difficulties in confirming their status so the procedure of official ennoblement was a way of silencing the rumours. More to the point, Stanisław Czerniecki led all his life like many other noblemen, not rich by birth and forced to get into service for a magnate as soldiers or courtiers. All in all, the most important civil duty of every nobleman was to protect the country and the 17th century was the century of wars. The Lubomirskis’s banquet specialist fought with the Swedes in 1650s, then with the Russians in 1660 battle in Cudnow and, eventually, against allied forces of Cossacks and Tatars in the battle near Sciana and Brahiłov (1666). He was also considered a gifted fortress administrator and he was employed in such a capacity in the Róznow Castle, one of the most modern military complexes of the period.
There is quite a lot of information on his private life (two wives, five children – that we know of) and state of his business affairs. For example in 1689 he managed to buy Wola Nieszkowska village gaining financial independence and unquestioned status as a landowner. He was able to reach yet another level in his social advancement into the ranks of the Polish nobility and got some honorary offices such as secretary to the king and podstoli (deputy pantler) of Żytomierz (now Zhytomyr, Ukraine).
The list of Stefan Czerniecki skills and experiences is long and includes also some entries in the lists of the old Polish literature. He published author of two brochures, including the one on the 1661 wedding, and an extensive collection of kitchen instructions called Compendium ferculorum albo zebranie potraw.
Sadly, we do not know the exact dates of his birth or death but we found confirmation of his fame as a kuchmistrz. What we do know is that his expertise in party management was sought after by other noblemen even after his retirement from the active service for the Lubomirskis. There is a letter from 1685 from which we learn that he was positively implored by friends and neighbours to help out in a family event planned by a wealthy nobleman Jan Wawrzyniec Wodzicki (king’s secretary and treasurer). After all, Stanisław Czerniecki knew not only how to protect the country or get around his business, but also how to choose a good cook by his hairstyle, cleanliness of his nails and ability to season dishes with gusto.
In conclusion, some of Czerniecki’s tips on choosing the right cook for kitchen employment: he should be neat, tidy with washed hands and clipped nails. His hair was supposed to be combed or his head shaven, and a white apron should be tied around the waist. As far as other qualities were concerned, the ones stressed by Czerniecki were: sobriety and attentiveness. A good cook should not be quarrelsome, he should show humility and be quick. Also, he must have a sense of taste and proper knowledge of condiments and dishes.
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