[macstrat]

I have been working on a cookbook on some of the recipes that my clients have requested again and again, and I have run into a little dilemma.

how do you attribute recipes that are based on recipes from a foreign cookbook?

Example: I have a recipe for Sichuan Chicken Wings that I got from a cookbook that is written in Chinese. the recipe that I use has changed a little from the one in the book, but not much. I would like to add "based on" or "adapted from" credit for the recipe. I translated the recipe and as a result changed the wording of the instructions and added amounts for items that had no amounts with them

even though it sounds slimy, is that enough not to attribute?

 

[Pat Pat]

I don't know how the author go about asking for the recipe's creator permission but many cookbooks I read say something like these examples below:

- [Recipe Name] by [creator name] and/or [cookbook name]

- This is my favourite [whatever] recipe. I got it from a chef at [place name]

- I really like this recipe. I got it while visiting [place name]

- I have been using [creator name] recipe from his cookbook for years at home and loved it. Now that I have my own restaurant, I could not not share this dish with my customers. Here's an updated version with modifications I have made throughout the years.

 

[macstrat]

I don't know how the author go about asking for the recipe's creator permission but many cookbooks I read say something like these examples below:

- [Recipe Name] by [creator name] and/or [cookbook name]

- This is my favourite [whatever] recipe. I got it from a chef at [place name]

- I really like this recipe. I got it while visiting [place name]

- I have been using [creator name] recipe from his cookbook for years at home and loved it. Now that I have my own restaurant, I could not not share this dish with my customers. Here's an updated version with modifications I have made throughout the years.

I've seen that before, where the book is in French, or the restaurant is in German, but how does that work when the language doesn't even use the same alphabet? Should I translate the name of the book or leave it in it's local language?

 

[Pat Pat]

I would keep your audience in mind and translate accordingly. It would also be nice to include the title in its original language in case some of your audiences happen to know the language, however, the publisher may have a problem printing foreign characters or it may cost you more to do so.

 

[chefross]

If you follow every recipe as it was handed down to you, it's important to acknowledge the origin. However, if any ingredients are added to the existing recipe or deleted then it's a brand new recipe and thus no need for acknowledgments.

 

[slayertplsko]

In my opinion, translating the title of the book doesn't make sense. If someone wants to check the original, they have to be able to read Chinese, so those people don't need a translations. And those that don't speak Chinese are out of luck anyway, so what does it help if you translated the title? Would you translate the title of a French-language cookbook? Of course not.

I would, however, include a transliteration or use only that.

 

[Pat Pat]

translating the title of the book doesn't make sense. If someone wants to check the original, they have to be able to read Chinese, so those people don't need a translations. And those that don't speak Chinese are out of luck anyway, so what does it help if you translated the title? Would you translate the title of a French-language cookbook? Of course not.

You do it so your readers get a sense of what kind of recipe it is.

For example, there are usually very big differences between the recipes in these books: "Easy Chinese Home Cooking", "Authentic 18th Century Recipes", and "Modern 5-Star Chinese Cuisine".

People usually don't go looking up the original, but they'd like to know. Think of it as a bibliography you have to include when writing a report. The teacher almost never check your source against what you wrote, unless it says something like "Fictional Facts of WWII" and your report title says "What Really Happened During D-Day"