Leipziger allerlei

Leipziger Allerlei is a regional German vegetable dish that may be served as a main or side course. It is named after the city of Leipzig and consists of a mixture of various vegetables such as young peas, carrots, green beans, asparagus heads, morels, and celery. Cauliflower and kohlrabi are often added; occasionally onions are used too. There are numerous variations to the basic recipe. A classic Leipziger Allerlei also includes a sauce made from crayfish butter, crayfish tails and semolina dumplings. According to legend, the dish was invented in Leipzig after the Napoleonic Wars to protect the city from beggars and tax collectors: in storing the more sustaining and more expensive meat-based dishes, and serving vegetables instead, city officials hoped to encourage beggars and tax collectors to move on to neighbouring cities. City clerk Malthus Hempel, is said to have suggested to the city fathers: "Let's hide the bacon and bring only vegetables to the table, on Sundays maybe a piece of sausage or a crab from the Pleiße. And if you come and want something, you get a bowl of vegetable broth instead of meat and all the beggars and tax collectors will orientate themselves to Halle or Dresden." However, the dish is first attested in a 1745 cookbook.

Source: Wikipedia