Traditional cuisine of the Ryukyu Islands : a history of health and healing / Takagi Rin ; translated by Enda Kazuko and Deborah Iwabuchi

Dai Ryūkyū ryōrichō. English

First English edition

9784866581316 (hardcover)
486658131X (hardcover)

Tokyo : Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture (JPIC), 2020

©2020

English

144 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 22 cm

TX724.5.J3 T295813 2020

641.5952

"In recent decades, Okinawan cuisine has earned a place in the Japanese food scene due to its healthy diet. The recipes are the results of wisdom passed down through generations on the southern islands. Little is known, however, that their roots can be traced back to a nineteenth century guidebook on diet therapy which was written by a renowned doctor. Tokashiki Pechin Tsukan was the chief physician to the king of the Ryukyu Kingdom, as the islands were known for five centuries before they became Okinawa. Tsukan penned Gozen honzo in 1832, which can be directly translated as "medicinal foods placed on a tray and served to the king." From grains and vegetables to meat and fish, he took up 300 traditional Ryukyu foodstuffs, explaining their medicinal effects, the preparations required, and their effective combinations. This modern version of the Gozen honzo unveils the knowledge it contains, covering 60 ingredients and 70 recipes from the text to reproduce the various delicacies. The exceptional pictures radiate the richness of the dishes, and the additional commentary on culture provides deep insight into how people lived on the islands. This reading experience will lead you to understand that the Okinawan saying "food is kusuimun (medicine)" is truly so"-- Back cover

Includes bibliographical references (pages 140-141)

Japan library (Shuppan Bunka Sangyō Shinkō Zaidan)

Translation of: Takagi, Rin, 1947- Dai Ryūkyū ryōrichō.

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