 First edition | |
| Illustrator | Calligraphy by Yuen Ren Chao |
|---|---|
| Series | An Asia Press Book |
| Genre | Cookbook |
| Publisher | John Day Company |
Publication date | 1945 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 262 |
| Followed by | How to Order and Eat in Chinese |
How to Cook and Eat in Chinese is a cookbook and introduction to Chinese cuisine and food culture by Buwei Yang Chao. It was first published in 1945, and appeared in revised and expanded editions in 1949 and 1956; the third and final edition appeared in 1968. It has been called "the first truly insightful English-language Chinese cookbook",[1] Mrs. Chao introduced new dishes and recipes that she collected in China but adapted them for preparation in an American kitchen. Sections also describe meal systems, cooking techniques, and materials. The book emerged in collaboration with her husband, Yuen Ren Chao, and daughter, Rulan Chao Pian, and coined the commonly used English terms for Chinese cooking techniques such as "stir fry" and "pot stickers".[2]
Pearl S. Buck, at that time the most widely read American author on the subject of China, wrote in her Preface to the book that she wanted to nominate Mrs. Chao for the Nobel Peace Prize: "what better road to universal peace is there than to gather around the table where new and delicious dishes are set forth, dishes which, though yet untasted by us, we are destined to enjoy and love?"[3]
- ^ Mendelson (2016), p. ix.
- ^ Hayford (2012), p. 81.
- ^ Chao (1945), p. 20.