Book of handwritten recipes by 18th-century Antwerp housekeeper at auction

A cookbook dated 1788 that was penned by an Antwerp housekeeper will be auctioned next week in Brussels. The book of recipes is quite rare because it is so well preserved.

The dozens of recipes in the “Koock Boeck” – from mussel soup to strawberry cake – are still easy to read, as long as the old Dutch doesn’t vex the reader too much. The author of the recipes, Joanna Kortenbos, is described as being in the service of a family of tailors.

“The cookbook is dated, we know who the author is and where she was geographically situated, which is all quite exceptional,” says Henri Godts of Arenberg Auctions. “On top of that, the recipes are still easy to make out and offer us a clear picture of how articulate this woman was and a glimpse of her personality.”

The book also contains handwriting by two other people, who make notes about the recipes. This suggests it was handed down from one generation to another. It certainly impressed chef Johan Segers of the famed Antwerp restaurant ’t Fornuis, who the auction house asked to take a look at the book.

“This book, which comes directly from someone who lived right by our restaurant centuries ago, has a lot to tell us,” he says. His favourite recipe is “baked cod head”, which is exactly what it sounds like. “They used the entire fish, from head to tail – not just a filet like we are used to today. Back then, they used everything, even the eyes. Nothing was thrown away. I share this value of food and try to apply it as much as possible in my own kitchen.”

Arenberg Auctions has estimated that the book will fetch between €300 and €400, but it all depends on the interest. “Whoever buys this book is getting something of great symbolic value,” says Segers. “This is culinary history that can still be perfectly put to use today.”

The auction takes place on 26 April, when a sizeable collection of gastronomic books from the 17th to the 20th century will also be auctioned.