There are objects that are not only beautiful but also hold entire stories within them. One such item is the vase on display at the exhibition in Tata, which conceals the menu for a special Gundel-style festive dinner from 1926. This rare piece of ceramics is not only a part of gastronomic history but also a piece of Hungarian art history.

At the Kuny Domokos Museum’s temporary exhibition, a hand-painted ceramic vase catches the eye of visitors. Commissioned by Emil Fischer, this piece is more than just a decorative item: on its side is the full menu from a special centenary gala dinner held at the Gundel Restaurant, featuring gold leaf and inscriptions fired into the glaze.

At the event in 1926, the managers and owners of the ceramics factory gathered for a general meeting and an elegant dinner to mark the occasion. The menu was a real treat: crab risotto, Villeroy-style lamb with truffles, asparagus in a blood orange sauce, Margitka cake with walnuts, and strawberries aged in Marsala – all of which were considered a real treat at the time.

The menu at Gundel Restaurant, enclosed in a ceramic vase
One of the most interesting features of the vase is that the inscriptions are not handwritten, one-off examples, but masterfully painted compositions fired under the glaze. This technique ensured that the menu – and with it, the memory of the gala dinner – would be preserved for generations to come.