Quand le pain fait grincer des dents… : Cuisine et aliments dans les Pays tchèques 1914–1918

Abstract

World War I brought radical changes in eating habits and possibilities in the rear. Both home and public catering adopted procedures saving time, raw materials and energy. Catering options also varied over the course of the four war years; in the first two less popular staples were used (tomatoes) or less popular in Czech cuisine (rice, corn, oats). In the cities, every piece of land was used to grow vegetables and rabbits were kept in the back yards. Consumption of sugar, meat and butter was drastically reduced. In the spring of 1916, the government introduced a rationing system that worsened the supply situation. Wartime cookbooks, which were published before 1916 and on which the study is based, became an inaccessible standard due to the rationing system.