Abstract
The Kaidocho (1739-1830) is a culinary record of an important inn in the lodging town of Odanijuku, and clearly outlines what the Hokuriku lords ate there on their way to the capital to fulfil their feudal duties. They received gifts of carp, funa (crucian), and matsutake mushrooms to be cooked, as well as funazushi, and the simple, local rice cake, samegaimochi. Later, sugared rice cake and green tea, which was light and kept well, became more popular, although gifts were sometimes refused to minimize expense. Rice, miso, soy sauce and vinegar were supplied for the lord's cooks to prepare meals. The inn's cooks prepared such meals as ichizen meshi, soup and two vegetables, and soup and three vegetables, meals often being graded in both content and quality according to lord's rank. The Dochu Honjin Kondate menu given by the Maeda Clan in 1783 included healthy foods such as rice, soup, stewed vegetables, grilled fish and pickled vegetables. When numbers were large, freshwater fish and vegetables were procured locally, while dried or salted sea fish from Tsuruga were added to local produce.
