One of the Most Comprehensive Cookbooks of the 18th Century

KIDODŌ 器土堂.

Manbō ryōri himitsubako 万寶料理秘密箱 [A Secret Box of Ten Thousand Culinary Treasures].

Several woodcut illus. in the text. 20.5; 30; 30.5; 26; 33.5 folding leaves. Five vols. 8vo, orig. semi-stiff embossed wrappers, orig. title-slips on upper covers, new stitching. Osaka, Kyoto, & Edo: various dates including 1795 & 1819.

A later edition (1st eds.: 1785-1800) of this comprehensive cookbook of Japanese cuisine by the most important recipe author of the late 18th century. “Little is known about this mysterious author. Kidodō may have worked as a professional restaurant chef in Kyoto, where all his books were published…[One of his writings] refers to him as a cook (ryōrinin), and invites readers to visit the author if they have any questions about food preparation…Judging from his publications, which are the only record we have for him, he was certainly prolific and imaginative…Kidodō wrote six of the sixteen hundred-tricks texts, far more than any other author. This is all the more remarkable for the fact that five of his books appeared in print in the same year.”–Rath, Food and Fantasy in Early Modern Japan, pp. 176-81–(& see the whole passage for more fascinating insights).

While Kidodō’s other works focused on vegetables and sea fish, this large collection of recipes concentrates on eggs (103 recipes), chicken, river fish, and shellfish. A number of recipes have medicinal qualities.

Fine set, preserved in a chitsu. The first edition is very rare.

Price: $6,500.00

Item ID: 11169