Kidod (2 results)

Woodcut illus. in the text. 29.5 folding leaves. 8vo, orig. blue semi-stiff wrappers, orig. block-printed title label on upper cover (label flaked), new stitching. Kyoto: Nishimura Ichi'uemon et al.; Edo, Osaka, & Ish?: colophon dated 1785. First edition of one of the earliest Japanese books on the daikon radish, with instructions on 20 ways to cut the vegetable and 30 ways to cook it. Little is known about Kidod?, but he may have learned his trade under the Shijo School and worked as a professional restaurant chef in Kyoto. This book is rare, with no copy in WorldCat. In Kidod?'s Preface, he writes that the daikon, of which there were many varieties (described here), was inexpensive and readily available to all social classes for enjoyment. Its uses in the kitchen were limitless: when raw and fresh, it could be employed in certain ways to enjoy its crisp texture, and when cooked, it produced entirely different results and pleasures. Its possibilities ranged from highly sophisticated dishes for elaborate banquets to recipes for everyday meals. The author stresses its chameleon-like quality. Of the 50 ways to use daikon, the first 20 involve instructions on cutting the vegetable in ways to enhance flavors and to make shapes resembling flowers and other traditional ornaments. The 30 recipes, from many regions of Japan, include various techniques: braising, frying (for tempura), grilling, drying, pickling, etc. Some of the recipes follow the tradition of the cuisine of Buddhist priests and the tea ceremony master Sen no Riky? Throughout the text, woodcut vignettes depicting shapes of prepared daikon, a slicer to julienne it, etc. Kidod? wrote another book on the daikon part of the popular "Hundred Tricks" series which appeared in the same year. Fine copy. Minor marginal worming towards end. ? Eric C. Rath, Food and Fantasy in Early Modern Japan (Berkeley: 2010), pp. 176-81.

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. Kidod? 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 (ry?rinin), and invites readers to visit the author if they have any questions about food preparationJudging from his publications, which are the only record we have for him, he was certainly prolific and imaginativeKidod? 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 Kidod?'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.