Anne Frank at the table

In the Netherlands, the day revolved around two meals: the 'broodmaaltijd' — bread with toppings for breakfast and lunch — and the 'warme maaltijd' in the evening, a single hot dish built on potatoes, a vegetable, and a legume. In the Annex, this structure held up despite rationing: they ate what the helpers (Miep, Bep, Mr. Kugler) managed to bring, supplemented by the black market and long stores of dried legumes.

For lack of meat, sacks of dried legumes were the protein backbone of the Annex. They were soaked the night before, then simmered for hours on the small stove — the smell almost betrayed the hiding place. Anne recounts in her diary a sack of brown beans that burst open and cascaded down the stairs onto Peter: proof that these reserves were the treasure of the house.