[Sca-cooks] Sixteenth Century Turkish

[emilio szabo]

@Urtatim

<< First, what was eaten in the Holy Land, and what Turks, i.e., the 
upper Ottoman echelons, would be rather different.  >>

During the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, several people from Italy, 
Germany, France etc. travelled to the Holy Land, at least some of them passed
by Turkey and reported on lokal customs. It is these sources I had in mind.
In addition, there are soldiers, who were captured by the turks and who later
on wrote books on what they saw and what they experienced.
Their reports now and then include snippets on food.


<< Second, since most ambassadors, etc. were (a) not usually 
particularly excited about eating foreign food, (b) not familiar with 
what they were eating, and often gave faulty descriptions, and (c) 
not necessarily particularly interested in talking about food in 
detail and gave sketchy reports. >>

Thanks for pointing to the dangers of using these reports. However, do we 
acually have a picture of what these reports say about food habits? 
Please let me know.


>http://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/0002/bsb00029261/images/
<< Den 23. May zu Morgen sind die Vezier vnd Hof Officier zum Patscha 
>zusammen kommen (sind Geyss vnd Schaaff Fuess/ vnd essens die Tuercken 
>wie bey vns ein Eyer im Schmaltz) solche Speiss hat der Breutigam 
>seiner Schwieger der Sultanin selber auch geschickt/ welche dem 
>Breutigam vnd der Braut widerumb 150. andere Speisen bringen lassen 
>(...) >>. (p. 535; BSB-Pdf 546)

> Please translate the text

On the morning of the 23rd of May the Veziers and all the officers of the court
came together in order to eat / for Patscha (these are goat and sheep trotters/ the
Turks eat them like we at home eat „Eyer im Schmaltz“. The groom has sent 
this dish to his future mother in law, the wife of the Sultan, as well, who again
sent 150 different dishes to the groom and the bride ...

>>Does anybody recognise the dish which is mentioned here and which is 
>>called "Patscha"?
>
> A Pasha is an official... This seems to say that on the morning of 
> May 23 the Vizier and court officer came together with the Pasha... 

The word is not "Pasha", it is "Patscha". Some sources I have found in the 
meantime suggest, that it might mean something like 'trotter, paw', in some 
more modern sources there is also "patscha gueni", a day in the wedding
ceremony. But from the text it seem clear that "Patscha" is a dish.

<< Plus he begins his discussion of food in Kostantiniyye by 
saying, "The Turks eat poor miserable food..."

The consequence is not, to leave these sources aside, but rather
to try to take into account their specific point of view and to compare
different sources.



E.