The Chinese Festive Board
- Year
- 1935
- Era
- 20th century
- Origin
- China · East Asia
- Language
- English
- Category
- China
The Chinese Festive Board, compiled by Corinne Lamb and issued in 1935 under the Peking imprint of Henri Vetch, offers Anglophone readers an introduction to Chinese culinary culture, combining recipes with commentary on dining customs, etiquette, and the structure of a Chinese meal. As a product of the foreign press community in pre-war Peking, it stands among the earlier English-language works to treat Chinese gastronomy with genuine cultural seriousness.
Cooking from this book
Peking Duck
Signature dishPeking Duck stands as the emblematic dish of this slender volume, published in the city whose tables it celebrates. Lacquered to a deep mahogany and prized for its crackling skin, the bird is traditionally carved at the table and rolled into thin pancakes with scallion and sweet bean sauce. Lamb's compendium of Chinese banquet fare, issued by Henri Vetch in Peking, captured for foreign readers the ceremonial grandeur that has long surrounded this most theatrical of northern specialities.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
