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This paper makes an attempt to call attention and point to the importance of Manchu historical records, but at the same time warns against the pitfalls of uncritical utilisation of these historical sources (the possibility of falsification and the fabrication of historical material). The authors focus on volume 20 of the 親征平定朔漠方略 Qinzhengpingdingshuo-mofanglue (Beye dailame wargi amargi babe necihiyeme toktobuha bodogon i bithe. orici debtelin) written in Manchu. This Manchu historical document is of prime importance in the historical enquiry of the period. It gives a clear picture of the military strategy of the time and provides accurate facts concerning the exact names of persons and places, the system of administration, wartime munitions mobilisation, and much more.

This article reviews the characteristics of terms used by the Mongols to express taboos concerning food and examines their food-related culture based on sources from the Mongolian Empire (Plano Carpini’s Historia Mongalorum, Marco Polo’s Il milione, Chinggis Khan’s Yeke Jasag, Rashīd ad-Dīn’s Jāmiʿ al-tawārīkh, and the Yuan Dynasty’s 飮食須知 Yin shi xu zhi). The Mongols left behind fairly strict food-related taboos in the form of eating habits. To better understand Mongolia’s food-related taboo expressions, we have examined five mediaeval sources written in various languages in which diverse food taboos are recorded.