Banquet Food for Korean Delegations in the Edo Period (Part l) Food for the Middle and Lower Classes of Officers and Translators: On Meats and Whale

摘要

Korean delegations carne to Japan 12 times from Keicho 12 (l607) to Bunka 8 (1811) during the 200-year Edo period. Banquets for the delegations reflected Japanese prestige, so the records on the banquet meals are valuable to investigate Japanese food culture during Edo period. Records of the banquets for the middle and lower classes of officers in the delegations at Tenna (1682), Shoutoku (1711), Enkyou (1748) and Houreki (1764) from the documents of the Tsushima clan were studied to identify the food and cooking methods used during the Edo period of Japan. There was a great difference in the frequency of use of chicken, pork and venison between the Korean and Japanese diets. Whale meat was not frequently served because it was not eaten in Korea. Meats on the whole tended to be boiled, rather than roasted, while beast meats tended to be roasted rather than boiled.