This presentation will first briefly review the early history of Western
food culture introduced to China through books from the 17th-19th
century. Then, by focusing on selected Western gastronomic sources
and recipe guides translated and published during the 19th century in
both China and Japan, it will provide a compilation of the new
gastronomic vocabulary found in the discussed texts and compare
the Chinese translations of these terms.
By analyzing the relationship between Chinese and Japanese translations
and comparing the adapted terminology for Western culinary methods
translated into the two languages, it suggests that despite the
introduction of numerous new concepts found in Western food culture
using different translations, these techniques ultimately became
integrated into Chinese and Japanese gastronomic culture with Chinese language (Hanzi and Kanji) terms playing a mediating role