Thus, Istanbul cuisine would in fact define O oman cuisine. Instead, this cuisine cons tuted the core of O oman cuisine, shaped by the various cultures that existed in the relevant geography. They could be spontaneous acts of friendship or kindness dictated by custom on special occasions such as religious holidays or rites of passage or if the recipients were members of the ruling class, a way of expressing loyalty and currying favour without risk of the gift being interpreted as bribery.ĬULINARY TRADITIONS OF OTTOMAN ISTANBUL Despite the fact that Istanbul cuisine was a mixture of culinary tradi ons from almost all parts of the empire, it would be wrong to claim that it represented the ea ng habits of the whole imperial geography. Depending on the circumstances and intent of the giver, gifts of food could express many things: congratulations, good-will, welcome, gratitude and condolences, or simply be a way of “asking after” someone (hatır sormak). They were often, although not invariably, home-grown or homemade, so had the advantage of putting the poorest giver on an equal footing with the richest and avoiding the taint of ostentation that would detract from the giver’s sincerity. ![]() Unlike expensive gifts such as silverware, jewelled objects and kaftans made of rich fabrics presented on state occasions such as royal circumcision celebrations, gifts of food were not indicators of wealth and power. ![]() Presenting food as gifts, particularly fresh fruit and confectionery, was widespread at all levels of Ottoman society on diverse occasions. Evliya also gives detailed descriptions of exotic fruits in farflung regions of the empire, such as bananas grown in Beirut, the date varieties of Iraq and the sycamore figs of Egypt. Many of the best tasting varieties were too delicate to be carried fresh over long distances, such as the kumru apricots of Malatya that barely made it from the orchards to the city in an edible condition. Evliya provides information about fruit cultivation and preservation techniques, and trade in fresh and dried fruits. In Malatya these gifts included apples with couplets written on the peel by means of attaching cut-paper inscriptions before they ripened. ![]() Particularly esteemed fruit varieties were sent as gifts to notables in other cities or to the sultan. Evliya recorded famous fruit varieties in the many places he visited throughout the empire, naming around 260 but declaring on two occasions, "If I listed them all this book would turn into a treatise on agriculture”. That grafters had their own guild, distinct from that of gardeners, points to the importance attached by the Ottomans to fruit and its cultivation. ![]() Amateur gardeners bred new varieties, exchanged scions with their acquaintances, and ordered others from distant provinces for grafting in their own gardens. Growing fine varieties of fruit, particularly tree fruits and grapes, was a leisure pursuit for the Ottoman upper classes as well as a commercial activity. One of the key sources of information on this subject is the seventeenth century Ottoman traveller Evliya Çelebi, in his ten-volume Seyahatname (Book of Travels). Fruit epitomised the good life for the Ottoman, and their love of fruit and fruit growing was closely bound up with their love of gardens, trees and flowers.
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