Cultural diversity in Günter Grass‘s work. “O sacred ritual of dining, which binds all nations”. About the sour‑sweet culinary delights of the Matzeraths

Abstract

One of the most underestimated goods of our civilization is the art of preparing food, or cooking. Günter Grass uses this motif in his bestseller novel „The Tin Drum” to present different types of mentality and world-views of his fellow “Danzigers” of the interwar period in a very subtle and hardly noticeable way. A simple potato, for instance symbolizes a connecting element between Kashubians, Poles and Germans or it even functions as a murder weapon. It’s high time to commence the culinary journey around the homeland of the 1999 Nobel Prize winner from Gdańsk. Enjoy your meal!