SC - Re: SC- Turkish Food

[Sara K. Tallarovic]

At 03:05 PM 01/08/2001 -0600, Adamantius wrote:
>Everybody seems to agree that the name translates as something like,
>"The Imam Fainted", but it also seems that we have sufficient variations
>on the attached story to think the dish name was standardized long
>before any particular story was attached to the name. For example, I
>have heard the story you mention, but also heard that the Imam Fainted
>when he tasted the dish, presumably in a swoon of ecstasy. I have also
>heard that the Imam Fainted when he heard the amount and price of the
>expensive olive oil called for in the dish. I suspect that nobody really
>knows why the dish has the name it has, and a lot of stories have been
>made up to fit the name.


Other versions of this I have heard are that the Imam fainted when he 
smelled it as soon as it was placed before him (didn't even get a taste), 
and also that he passed out from eating too much of it because he couldn't 
get enough.  Gotta love food that is so good, it has legends grow up around 
it.
- -Shu'la