Abstract

In 1889, the American Presbyterian Mission Press published Xifa shipu 西
法食譜 along with its English-Chinese edition, The Oriental Cook Book.
As the first bilingual cookbook in China, The Oriental Cook Book aimed
to assist foreign housewives in giving accurate instructions to their
Chinese cooks. Despite its significance in culinary literature, this
cookbook has received limited academic attention and has not been
systematically studied as an historical document.
This study closely examines The Oriental Cook Book and its Chinese
edition Xifa shipu, focusing on its creation, publication, and reception.
First, by situating The Oriental Cook Book within the broader context of
recipe writing in the 19th century and highlighting contents regarding
specific ingredients and dishes, I explore how culinary writing reflects
cultural identity and incorporates localized experience. Next, this study
compares advertisements for these two cookbooks at that time, considering
the differences in size, binding, number of pages, and so on, to shed light on the publication strategy and its limitations. Finally, my attention moves
to the reception of this cookbook. By paying attention to a Chinese
literati’s diary during the late Qing that mentions Xifa shipu, I seek to
comment on the extent to which the Western food culture and culinary art
were integrated into his Western learning (xixue 西學).
Keywords: Xifa shipu; bilingual cookbooks; recipe writing; western
culinary