FŪRA SANJIN 風羅山人.

Ryōri kondate hayashikumi 料理献立早仕組 [How to Plan a Proper Menu of Dishes]; label title Hayari ryori iroha hocho [ABCs of Popular Dishes]

Woodcut frontis. 84 folding leaves. 8vo, orig. blue patterned wrappers, block-printed label on upper cover, new stitching. Edo: Okadaya Kashichi & Izumiya Ichibei, [1833].

First edition and quite rare. This is a collection of planned menus, each involving a number of dishes, arranged by the four seasons. The fine full-page woodcut shows a kitchen scene in a wealthy household, with a chef cutting a fish with a knife and preparing ceremonial dishes (all the ingredients are apparent in the background). A female server is carrying a dish to the dining area.

The main body of the text lists dishes with their ingredients. The broad categories from which dishes are drawn, listed in the index, include: rice, pickles, many categories of broiled and braised dishes, sashimi, sake-marinated fish, many categories of soups, shellfish, kinds of desserts, fruits, etc. At the end is a list of exotic ingredients with instructions on how to prepare and cook them.

Nice fresh copy. Final ten leaves with some mostly marginal worming.

Price: $2,500.00

Item ID: 6895