[Sca-cooks] Turkish food, continued...

[Patrick Levesque]

Got to try two recipes tonight!

I am unsure about the quality of the first translation, since it's basically
the different steps of the redaction put together in a string. My hypothesis
is that there was a serious lack of proofreading in the recipes section (in
any case, that's all there is to work on, and I couldn't read the original
anyway..,). I've therefore added my comments in parentheses.

Although the problems with the French translation could cause us to worry
about faithfulness, or even, the actual existence of the recipe, Yerisamos
adds the actual folios on which it is inscribed (127 and 128 of the
manuscript, which is kept at the Süleymaniye Central Library. The compiler
is Mehmed bin Mahmoud Chirvânî). Although there are a few more recipes with
this problem, most of them seem to have been properly translated.


1) Tüffahiyye: Dice the meat (unspecified - I used a pound of boned and
diced lamb) and cook it in very little water. Make a syrup with all the
sugar and water (quantity of sugar unspecified - Translator recommends 3 cup
sugar) and drop four whole apples, peeled and cored. Baste them in syrup -
when it thickens, add rose water to dilute it and keep cooking. Repeat this
step three times, then remove the apples and put them in a platter. Then
cook the meat in this syrup for a few minutes. Add ground apples (translator
recommends 3) in a pot, put into this pot the meat and some syrup. Add two
more peeled and sliced apples to the pot, as well as slivered almonds (I
used 100 grams). Bring to a boil, cook for a few minutes, add pitted and
sliced dates (I used 6 fresh dates cut in four pieces each), saffron and ???
(starch, presumably - the translator puts in corn starch which we know
definitely ain't it). Add salt and remove from the fire. Put in a platter,
add the candied apples on top and sprinkle with rose watter and more
slivered almonds. 

I cooked the meat in a pan filled with 1/2 inch of water, until it add all
evaporated, before adding the meat to the syrup. I was concerned at first it
would be a bit too tough, but it turned out ok in the end.

I had a syrup which was too liquid, probably, so the apples didn't have the
candied glaze I expected. I wonder whether it would be better to core them,
but to leave the skin on? I'll also have to remember next time to use a lot
less water to begin with. I've used the quantities written above - it would
probably be enough for 8 people as a feast dish, but can feed 4 to 6 persons
(depending on appetite) in a mundane setting.

2) Herise of rice. 

No translation problems here. Here goes:

The art of making it is thus: clean a fat chicken, put it on the fire to
boil and remove the scum. When the blood gets out of the chicken, remove
from the fire, press it to remove the water, and tear it with your nails to
make thin strings of flesh. It is better to do this while it is still hot.
Strain the chicken broth through a sieve to remove the scum. Clean rice,
wash it, and soak it in this broth, place it on ashes to keep it warm. Leave
it thus until the broth is absorbed. When it is soaked, cook it in fresh
milk, cook it well. Stir it with a spoon so the bottom doesn't burn out. Add
salt, it must not be too salty or not enough. Before you remove it from the
fire, add sugar to perfect the flavour. Then add the strings of white flesh,
mix everything and remove from the fire. Add a little ghee and leave it to
rest. Put it in platters, sprinkle with rosewater and sugar and eat.

My redaction (varies slightly from the translator)

1 cup rice
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 1/3 cup milk
Salt, sugar, butter
Rosewater (optional)

Cook the rice in the broth until it is all absorbed. Add milk, bring
(carefully!!! and stirring) to a boil, until the rice is cooked. Add salt,
sugar and a little butter, to taste.

The translator mentions another recipe without chicken - I left it out
because there was no point cooking a whole chicken for 3 people when there's
a lot more stuff to eat, but you would add it in near the end as well.

In both recipes I left out the rosewater, as my significant other is not
very fond of the taste.

Both recipes are very good, if somewhat sweet, especially the tuffahiyye.
The candied apple are very good - if properly done and piled, they could
make quite a presentation to any high table.

Petru