Sweet art - First exhibition of the German Archive of Culinary Art

The German Archive of Culinary Arts, founded in 2022 at Saxony's State Library in Dresden, is dedicating its first exhibition to "sweet art". It tells the cultural history of confectionery and desserts, which, according to the curators, are more than just a treat. They reflect social developments, artistic trends and scientific findings. Until mid-January 2026, the show offers a journey from 1800 to the present day.

Exhibits from the archive's collection tell the story of key ingredients such as sugar and cocoa, the culinary and aesthetic development of sweet creations and the world of flavors. They bear witness to the beginnings of confectionery, from the history of form and craftsmanship to industrial production in domestic manufacturing. And sweet indulgence is also examined from a scientific perspective - from pudding to caramel.

Smelling station and dessert workshops

A staged dessert table from around 1830 shows how pastries, ice cream and melt-in-the-mouth pralines were once celebrated: between candelabras and marble sculptures, in bowls of porcelain, gold and crystal. The public can make discoveries at a smell station, and the program includes dessert workshops as well as scientific lectures.

Research has shown that "sweet foods are more than just a pleasure, tartlets, ice cream or chocolates are an expression of aesthetic developments", explained the curators. Creations from the confectionery and pâtisserie sectors bear witness to culture, craftsmanship and social change and offer access to current findings in food studies.

The German Archive of Culinary Arts preserves a collection of culinary art that was acquired in recent years with the help of the Kulturstiftung der Länder (Cultural Foundation of the Federal States) and is unique in Germany in its scope. The collection includes over 50,000 cookbooks, magazines and historical menu cards, commercial art, photos and audiovisual media, including prominent collections from Ernst Birsner, Walter Putz, Wolfram Siebeck and Eckart Witzigmann.