Alexander Herrmann as a guest at the Adalbert Raps Spice Library

"Whose food is this?" - This is the title of the new online cooking show format with Alexander Herrmann, which started in mid-April and focuses on the question: "Can you still eat today what was cooked 50 years ago? With this in mind, the two-star chef sets himself the task of first re-cooking historical recipes true to the original and then transferring them to the present day within the framework of four live streams. He uses one of the largest cookbook collections in Germany, which is housed in the spice library donated by Adalbert-Raps-Stiftung in the Museum Educational Centre (MUPÄZ) in Kulmbach, as the basis for his recipes. The works with recipes from the 90s, 80s, 70s and even 60s unearth real curiosities and present Herrmann with one or two challenges. Following the broadcast of the first show on 17 April 2021, the online cooking show format "Wem schmeckt denn sowas?" will take place on a further three dates with live streams planned for 01, 15 and 29 May 2021. Tickets can be purchased online.

Two-star chef on a culinary voyage of discovery into the past

Since his live cooking show had to be postponed due to corona, Alexander Herrmann has come up with an alternative programme in the form of the online cooking show format "Wem schmeckt denn sowas? In the four-part live streaming show, the two-star chef goes on a culinary voyage of discovery into the past and searches for historical recipes in the Adalbert Raps spice library, one of the largest cookbook collections in Germany. The central question here is: "Can you still eat what was cooked 50 years ago today?" To be able to answer this question, Herrmann first cooks selected recipe finds from the 90s to the 60s in the event kitchen of the Museum Educational Centre (MUPÄZ) in Kulmbach true to the original and then reinterprets them. Then his creations are tasted by him, a changing guest taster and the librarian. "To get an exact idea of what my online show format could look like, I looked for inspiration in the Adalbert Raps spice library and got an overview of previous dishes and recipes. While browsing through the books, I had the brilliant idea of cooking something from these cookbooks," says Herrmann. Already after the broadcast of the first show of the cooking show format on 17.04.2021, in which Herrmann dared, among other things, to try the 60s recipe "meat bomb with pineapple", it is clear: from real disasters to curiosities to forgotten treasures, the cookbook collection of the Adalbert Raps spice library holds just about everything. The audience at the upcoming events on 1, 15 and 29 May can already look forward to exciting dishes and their interpretations.

Tickets for the three outstanding live dates can be purchased online at https://www.alexander-herrmann.de/alexander-herrmann-live at a price of 49.90 euros.

Adalbert Raps spice library: a culinary treasure trove!

The Spice Library, which is supported by Adalbert-Raps-Stiftung , is located in the Museum Educational Centre (MUPÄZ) in Kulmbach and is an unparalleled collection of literature on the subject of spices and the cultural history of food. With more than 12,000 books and journals, it offers a large selection of well-founded literature on spices, food, nutrition and enjoyment. It houses almost the entire German-language literature on the history of spices, dating back to the 17th century, and also provides an insight into the future of food culture. At the same time, it is considered one of the largest collections of cookbooks in Germany. "In the Adalbert Raps Library, I came across very valuable works, for example, those that were written before the beginning of the 20th century! Back then, the meaning of a cookbook was different and, in contrast to today, it was more of a nutritional and enjoyment aid than a source of inspiration. It was about eating with little in such a way that it not only tastes good and fills you up, but is also good for your heart and soul. The preservation of this cultural heritage is very important to me," says Herrmann. "What really excited me, however, were the books from the 1950s onwards! That is 'living history', so to speak. You might still have certain tastes for these recipes and dishes on your tongue, because cooking styles change but, after all, they always intertwine a bit. The cookbook collection gives an insight into the connection between the economic and social situation of a country and what people ate. I find the representation of this and the possibility to experience the past anew, so to speak, and to taste it, so to speak, very exciting."

The Adalbert Raps Spice Library was kicked off by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Protzner, who began collecting objects and books on the subject of spices in 1984 on behalf of Adalbert-Raps-Stiftung . The rapidly growing compilation was published in 1997 in the "Landschaftsmuseum Obermain". Since 2011, it has been on display in the Museum Educational Centre.

The most important information on the online cooking show format "Wem schmeckt denn sowas?" in brief:

• Tickets and further information available online at https://www.alexander-herrmann.de/alexander-herrmann-live
• Price per ticket: 49,90 Euro
• Streaming starts at 17:30 each time
• 30 minutes after broadcast, each show can be accessed with the access code for a further seven days