American Oriental Cookery (1962) Chun King & Mazola Recipe Booklet

Collector’s Note

Mid-century promotional cookbooks like American Oriental Cookery have become highly collectible examples of American food advertising and culinary history. Produced in cooperation with Chun King and Mazola, this booklet reflects the moment when Chinese-inspired dishes were being introduced to the American home kitchen through grocery store marketing and packaged foods.

Collectors value these pieces for their colorful mid-century food photography, distinctive graphic design, postwar entertaining, and their role in documenting the rise of international cuisine in everyday American cooking during the 1950s and 1960s. 

Historical Note

During the 1950s and early 1960s, American grocery brands increasingly partnered to promote new convenience foods. Cross‑promotional booklets became a hallmark of mid‑century marketing, helping introduce unfamiliar foods while encouraging shoppers to explore multiple branded products in a single trip. Chun King—founded in Minnesota in the 1940s—emerged as one of the first major companies to popularize Asian foods grocery products for mainstream American households.

Mazola, introduced in 1911 as the nation’s first commercially available corn oil, brought a level of trust and name recognition that made it an ideal partner for a company introducing “new” flavors to mid‑century consumers. By pairing Chun King’s emerging line of packaged Asian foods with Mazola’s already‑respected pantry staple, these collaborations helped reassure home cooks, bridge cultural unfamiliarity, and position both brands at the forefront of America’s evolving culinary landscape.