A rare historical cookbook held by the Library of the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management has been declared cultural property. The work in question is “Die wahre Kochkunst, oder neuestes, geprüftes und vollständiges Pester Kochbuch” by Josefa Saint-Hilaire, printed in Pest in 1823. Its title can be translated as “The True Art of Cookery, or the Newest, Tested and Complete Pest Cookbook.”
This exceptionally valuable book is an important part of FMTU’s library and gastronomic heritage. Due to its age, rarity and thematic connection with the fields of culinary arts and hospitality, it represents a valuable source for studying the history of food culture, culinary practices and the development of gastronomy in the European context.
Professional supervision at the FMTU Library was carried out on 11 March 2025 as part of the protection procedure for this valuable historical book. The supervision was conducted by Sanja Heberling Dragičević, senior librarian and head of the Development and Central Library Service of the University Library Rijeka, with the participation of Martina Jošavac, librarian and head of the FMTU Library.
The copy held by the FMTU Library is the oldest book in the library collection. It was printed in German and written in Gothic script, and it is the second revised and improved edition of this historical cookbook. The work contains 726 recipes across 456 pages, with instructions for preparing meat and fasting dishes, bakery products, pastries, jellies, preserved fruit, juices, frozen dishes, liqueurs and other preparations.
The book’s additional significance lies in the fact that Josefa Saint-Hilaire’s work was extremely popular in its time and had gone through a large number of editions by the end of the 19th century. The copy preserved today at FMTU is therefore not only a rare historical publication, but also a valuable witness to the gastronomic culture and everyday life of the period in which it was created.
The book was accessioned by the FMTU Library in 1969, catalogued and technically processed. Due to its value and state of preservation, it is not available for loan but is kept under protected conditions within the Library, where its preservation is cared for by the Library staff.
The declaration of cultural property confirms the historical, cultural and scientific value of this rare historical cookbook. Its preservation represents an important contribution to the protection of written heritage and ensures that valuable historical sources remain available to future generations of students, researchers and professionals in the fields of tourism, hospitality, gastronomy and cultural heritage.
