"highly palatable in the Himalayas"
Typed letter signed ("E. P. Hillary").
4to. 1 p. Airmail letter with typed address.
€ 850.00
To Cleophus Griffin, the chef of New York Explorer's Club, who was preparing a book of interesting recipes encountered by explorers on their travels: "I cannot suggest any exotic dishes for your book but only mention one or two variations of diet which we have found highly palatable in the Himalayas [...]". Hillary then describes two dishes: "Curds & Tsampa", a dish made with yak curds which he describes as "a most refreshing and sustaining dish when you descend to lower leves after an energetic time at high altitude"; and "Curry and Rice (Sherpa Style)", a simple rice and chicken broth dish that "the climbers consume huge quantities".
Hillary was the first climber to have reached to the summit of Mount Everest, with sherpa Tenzing Norgay. Known for his recipes made with exotic meat such as boa constrictor, monkey, polar bear, flying fox, and iguana, Cleophus Griffin served as chef of New York Explorer's Club for more than 20 years. He would create and cook these recipes mostly for the Club's annual dinner, with the meat provided by the club members. The book for which this contribution was intended never materialized.
Folded for mailing, light wear to edges.
