1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910785570903321

Autore

Rath Eric C. <1967->

Titolo

Food and fantasy in early modern Japan [[electronic resource] /] / Eric C. Rath

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Berkeley, : University of California Press, c2010

ISBN

1-283-27733-6

9786613277336

0-520-94765-7

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (251 p.)

Disciplina

394.120952

Soggetti

Cooking, Japanese - Social aspects

Food habits - Japan

Food - Social aspects - Japan

Japan Social life and customs

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Contents -- Illustrations and Tables -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. Japanese Cuisine, a Backward Journey -- 2. Of Knives and Men: Cutting Ceremonies and Cuisine -- 3. Ceremonial Banquets -- 4. The Barbarians' Cookbook -- 5. Food and Fantasy in Culinary Books -- 6. Menus for the Imagination -- 7. Deep Thought Wheat Gluten and Other Fantasy Foods -- Conclusion: After the Fantasies -- Appendix: The Southern Barbarians' Cookbook (Nanban ryƵrisho) -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

How did one dine with a shogun? Or make solid gold soup, sculpt with a fish, or turn seaweed into a symbol of happiness? In this fresh look at Japanese culinary history, Eric C. Rath delves into the writings of medieval and early modern Japanese chefs to answer these and other provocative questions, and to trace the development of Japanese cuisine from 1400 to 1868. Rath shows how medieval "fantasy food" rituals-where food was revered as symbol rather than consumed-were continued by early modern writers. The book offers the first extensive introduction to Japanese cookbooks, recipe collections, and gastronomic writings of the period and traces the origins of dishes like



tempura, sushi, and sashimi while documenting Japanese cooking styles and dining customs.