Zao Yang Fan Shu

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China's earliest Western cookbook, published in 1909 (the first year of the Xuantong reign of the Qing Dynasty) by the American Presbyterian Mission Press in Shanghai. The book opens with a chapter titled "Kitchen Regulations," emphasizing the importance of food hygiene; this is followed by recipes for various Western dishes and pastries, totaling twenty-seven chapters, 267 dishes or semi-finished products, plus four washing methods. Most entries list ingredients and preparation methods; some reflect a fusion of Chinese and Western styles, such as "Pudding Rice" made with rice. The translated terms in the book differ from those commonly used today: for example, "baking soda" is rendered as "Kousuo (la) Da," and "coffee" as "Ke Fei."

Where does coffee come from? How did it spread to China?
11 /Jun

Where does coffe...

Chinese people began tasting and drinking coffee during the Tongzhi era. In the fifth year of Tongzhi (1866), Mrs. G. P. Gowdy, an American missionary in Shanghai, published a book titled "The Western Cookbook" (Zao Yang Fan Shu). The book was written for foreigners dining on Western food in China and for training Chinese kitchen staff and chefs.
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