Zawadzka became famous above all as the author of a cookery book published under the pseudonym W.A.L.Z. Her down-to-earth approach to cooking won her a large readership. Undoubtedly, she owed a great deal to her predecessors, Jan Szyttler and Anna Ciundziewicka. The latter was buried in Kiszczyna Słoboda and in her family’s burial chapel, which, unfortunately, has not survived to the present day.

Jan Szyttler was not the only Vilnius-based chef and writer who introduced modern cuisine to Polish tables, along with recipes written in such a way that they could be used not only by master chefs but also by ordinary people. Between the works of Szyttler, the first to democratise cuisine in the Polish lands, and the immensely popular Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa of the late 19th century—whom, amongst others, Bolesław Prus, other books were published by Vilnius-based publishing houses which gained immense popularity in Poland under foreign rule. Two such authors, Szyttler’s ‘pupils’ so to speak, were Anna Ciundziewicka and Wincenta Zawadzka.

Anna Ciundziewicka (Prószyńska) was a Polish landowner’s daughter, born in 1803 in Koraliszczewice in what is now Belarus (Ihum district, Minsk Governorate). She soon went to Vilnius to attend a boarding school, and shortly afterwards married Józef Ciundziewicki, after which she settled in Kiszczyna Słoboda in the Borysów district.

Her *The Lithuanian Housewife* was published and printed by Józef Zawadzki. The full title is *The Lithuanian Housewife, or A Guide to Keeping a House in Order*. It went on to enjoy numerous editions, which were also expanded to include further recipes, added by Wincenta Zawadzka, Józef Zawadzki’s daughter-in-law. It is worth noting, however, that Ciundziewicka’s publication is not simply a cookbook, but rather something akin to a comprehensive household guide, in which we find recommendations on maintaining cleanliness and order in every part of the household, from the cowshed to the kitchen, and even guidance on keeping track of income and expenditure, as well as a wealth of household advice. What is more, we also find a variety of topics relating to livestock, including health-related matters. Ciundziewicka offers several pieces of advice of a purely veterinary nature. And that is not all, for as this is a blend of a cookbook and a household manual, it also features recipes for a home medicine cabinet, containing not only tinctures to lift the spirits, but also remedies for purging or inducing sweating. Whilst ‘The Thrifty Cook’ and other works by Jan Szyttler were intended for landowners but focused exclusively on cooking, Ciundziewicka’s work primarily contains household advice on how to manage the rearing of pigs and cattle. In the context of Szyttler and her inspiration from the Vilnius cook, Ciundziewicka writes at some length about smoking and preserving meats and cured meats – this is a unique blend of farming advice and culinary recipes. In a way, this is more reminiscent of Old Polish recipe collections or guidebooks, which were intended primarily for a specific farm. Unlike manuscript sources, however, Ciundziewicka’s book, very much in the spirit of democratic cuisine, is also intended as a general guide for other landowners.

A slightly different story concerns Wincenta Zawadzka ( de domo Żółkowska ), who is behind the second immensely popular cookbook, *Kucharka litewska* (*The Lithuanian Cook*). This work was first published in 1854 under the pseudonym W.A.L.Z. Zawadzka herself had already been mentioned in connection with Anna Ciundziewicka – she was, in fact, the daughter of the Vilnius printer, Aleksander Żółkowski, who married Adam Zawadzki. He, in turn, was the son of Józef Zawadzki, who… published Anna Ciundziewicka’s book. Wincenta Zawadzka herself was, in fact, the editor of the first edition of *Gospodyni litewskiej* (*The Lithuanian Housewife*), whilst in subsequent, uncontrolled editions

by Ciundziewicka, she added her own recipes to that household guide. Her editorial and publishing work, however, was only one aspect of her activity; the other was the publication of her own cookbook, namely *The Lithuanian Cook*, which was also extremely popular and saw numerous editions and reprints. The full title of this work is *The Lithuanian Cookbook: containing: thorough and clear recipes, tried and tested through personal experience, for the preparation of tasty, exquisite, inexpensive and simple dishes of various kinds, both meat-based, as well as Lenten dishes, and cakes, legumes, creams, jellies, jams and other dessert delicacies, as well as numerous medicinal concoctions, preserves and rarer specialities, with precise table settings provided at the beginning of the book’. Zawadzka mentions as early as the preface that her publication stems from the need for a book ‘which could combine all the requirements of good, inexpensive and tasty cuisine’. This is therefore a proposal similar to Szyttler’s. Zawadzka herself refers to it explicitly, noting that “one book, truly by Szyttler—who was well-versed in his art through long experience—contains more practical recipes than other books of this kind, and was long sought after by our housewives, though his dishes were often too expensive[…]”. The slightly critical tone adopted by Zawadzka is justified here mainly in the context of *The Good-Natured Cook*, which was, however, an elite publication. But evidently, both *The Thrifty Cook* and Szyttler’s other publications written before the creation of *The Lithuanian Cook* may have seemed too sophisticated to Wincenta Zawadzka. She is therefore, in a direct line, a continuator of the democratisation, simplification and stripping away of luxury from nineteenth-century landed gentry cuisine. The book is divided into twenty chapters devoted exclusively to recipes – unlike Ciundziewicka, Zawadzka focuses here mainly on the culinary aspects of running a household. We therefore have separate sections devoted to soups, sauces, vegetables, various meats, cold dishes and pulses. Dumplings, pasta and noodles are set out separately, as are waffles and wafers. The final chapters continue with dessert dishes, namely all manner of ice creams, jellies, biscuits and cakes (including a separate section on yeast cakes), syrups and homemade drinks, whilst the whole is rounded off with three recipes for bread.

By way of example, here is a menu for a Wednesday in December, compiled by Zawadzka herself:

Cabbage known as ‘Bigos hultajski’

Pour beef stock over the required amount of sauerkraut, add melted pork fat, season with salt and pepper, and simmer. Dice the meat left over from the stock, mix it with the cabbage, brown it with flour fried in the fat, and simmer until it darkens, stirring to prevent it from sticking to the pot. When serving, it is best to top this vegetable dish with fried sausage. Whilst stewing, you may add some crumbled dried stock to the cabbage.

Browned stock with vegetables

Place a few chopped onions, some carrots and fresh suet into a saucepan; top with as many pounds of meat, cut into pieces, as there are people (if you add a little veal, or a piece of ham with the skin removed, half a pound of meat will suffice); pour in a little water, and cook until the meat is browned. Then top up with water, add English pepper, salt, a little marjoram, various vegetables in bunches, and cook for a couple of hours. Strain, skim off the fat, clarify with egg white and strain again through a napkin into a dish, in which there should be neatly chopped vegetables, such as: carrots, cauliflower, savoy cabbage, asparagus, kohlrabi, potatoes, and finely chopped fresh parsley. All this should be cooked in the stock until tender, after which it should be served.
For a change, one may use fewer vegetables in this stock, but cook the savoy cabbage or ordinary cabbage—cut into four pieces—separately, layering the leaves with meat stuffing, and place it in a tureen when serving.

Veal breast stew with a browned sauce

Break the ribs at the breastbone, rinse, trim and season with salt. Pour a quart of wine, a little vinegar and some beef stock into a saucepan; add a couple of onions studded with cloves, a few slices of lemon and some bay leaves; place the brisket, cut into pieces, into the mixture, and cook until tender. Brown a tablespoon of butter, fry a little chopped onion in it, remove the brisket, dip it in beaten eggs, coat with breadcrumbs and fry on both sides in the same butter. Season the stock well, strain it and pour it over the brisket when serving.

Roast black grouse

Pluck and clean the black grouse, season with salt, lard it with bacon and roast on a spit, basting with butter.
If you wish to make it tastier, after larding it, wrap it in paper well greased with butter, and roast it whilst basting the paper with butter, taking care that it does not catch fire from excessive heat.
If the black grouse is freshly killed but old, it should be marinated in vinegar boiled with roots for a few days, turning it every day.
Alternatively, it can be roasted on a roasting tin in the oven, basting with butter or cream.
It is delicious served with braised beetroot.

Baked stuffed apple casserole

Hollow out the cores from a dozen or so wine apples. Finely chop a few peeled apples, mix with sugar, raisins and a dozen or so chopped sweet almonds, as well as a few bitter almonds for flavour; stuff the apples with this mixture and bake. Once they are ready, beat a few egg yolks with sugar and half a quart of sweet cream, heat over a flame, stirring until thickened, pour this over the apples on a serving dish and return to the oven briefly.
Serves 10.