Pure Pascale: Natural Food That Makes You Happy is the second-prize winner of the best cookbook competition.

But the idea took on a life of its own, and 22 years later, representatives of about 60 countries and regions have gathered in Yantai to exchange ideas, enjoy good food and gather for the awards dinner.

"Twenty-two years ago, cookbooks were not represented at Frankfurt and other major book fairs," says Cointreau. "Today, publishers in a very competitive food market need them to be profitable."

The trends ride a couple of others in the marketplace: Consumers willing to go the extra mile for quality food, an obsession with Michelin-starred restaurants, and hyper-busy professionals rediscovering that both quality time and good eating can be found right in their own kitchens.

"That book segment has not been huge in China yet," says Cointreau, "but China has been a very important market for rights and translations in recent years. Cookbooks will come behind that, in part because China is now pushing food as a key reflection of its culture."

He notes that the Chinese are "of course the most numerous group at the weekend event, larger than all foreigners combined".

The US market for cookbooks is $1 billion annually, he says, and it will be no surprise if China catches up to that figure in five years.