Ten centuries of Chinese food writing: what do we do with all these recipes?

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article introduces ten centuries of Chinese food writing, an expansive genre that spans technical cookbooks and the cultured appreciation of gastronomy, from the contrasting disciplinary perspectives of history and folklore. It begins with the view of the historian, breaking the long progress of Chinese food writing into five eras, marked by the growing prevalence of texts, and reflecting such patterns of long-term change as the new availability of ingredients, changing figure of the cook, and evolving presence of gastronomy in society. We then adopt the view of the folklorist, eschewing the idea of linear progress and instead breaking down cultural expression into durable units that are constantly rearranged into new forms. Using the example of an iconic Sichuan dish, this perspective shows the problems inherent in using historical recipes as a baseline of culinary origin and authenticity, but also emphasizes why we need not live in fear of being duped by invented traditions.