[Sca-cooks] Jannissary Cooks

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Elaine Koogler <ekoogler at chesapeake.net> wrote:
>Not sure, but I do know that Ted Moennich (SCA name is Karl von Nordmark),
>who heads up a music group called Turku.  They played at Pennsic last
>year.  He had a troup of Jannissaries that he paraded around on occasion.
>I'm not sure how to get in touch with him...I think he still lives in North
>Carolina, but they may have a web page.
>
>Kiri
>
>Volker Bach wrote:
>>  I wonder if anyone would agree to creating a
>>  Janissary household?
>>
>>  (Sensing military career opprtunities)
>>
>>  Giano

Uh, i've seen photos of them in their garb. Really, really not
correct for Jannissaries from pre-1601 (or for any period). The group
at Pennsic were all wearing red - which 16th c. Jannissaries did not
- and they were wearing modern vests, salwar of the wrong shape,
exposed white shirts (the gomlek is "underwear" and only the
neckline, cuffs, and hem might show), and few entaris (!!!). And they
were not wearing the right kinds of headgear.

A group of Jannissaries is a fun idea and there's plenty of
information on how to do it before 1601. Use real source material,
such as surviving garments, Ottoman Turkish paintings, and European
"eyewitness" drawings and paintings, which often give better details
and proportions.

As far as i can tell, Jannissaries didn't have a single uniform color
(pun intended), but wore 2 layers of fully lined entaris
(button-front tunics) in a variety of bright colors over a white
gomlek (undertunic) and brightly colored salwar (pants) which do NOT
have wide legs with gathered ankles, but have loose thighs but narrow
ankles. The headdresses and certain costume details seem to point to
rank - and the Ottomans were pretty "anal" about status. Historically
accurate garments are easy to make. But the headgear is a bit
trickier, but not impossible.

The Osprey book is a good starting point - actually, there are 2
Osprey books on Jannissaries before 1601, one in the "Men at Arms"
series and one in the "Warrior" series - but the modern artist who
made the color plates (?Christa Hook?) did a terrible job, especially
with the earlier depictions. Examine the actual art in the book
(including photos of actual cooking pots!) and find a book with color
plates of actual Ottoman art. The Osprey books have bibliographies,
which should help.

Right now, i'm reading a facsimile of the 1585 English translation of
Nicholas de Nicholay's "The Nauigations into Turkie" which has plates
possibly drawn by an artist who accompanied him, including a couple
Jannissaries.

Anahita
Oh, no, *another* non-food post. Help me before i post again!