Author Priscilla Mary Isin
ISBN-139781780239040
Format Hardback,
Publisher Reaktion Books
Publication dateMay 14, 2018P
ages280
Product dimensions 199 x 257 x 25mm
Weight1,092g
"The Ottoman Empire was one of the largest and longest-lasting empires in history. In this powerful and complex empire, the production and consumption of food reflected the lives of people from sultans to soldiers. Food bound people of different classes and background together, defining identity and serving symbolic functions in the social, religious, political and military spheres. Bountiful Empire: A History of Ottoman Cuisine examines the foodways of the Ottoman Empire as they changed and evolved overmore than five centuries. The book starts with an overview of the earlier culinary traditions in which Ottoman cuisine was rooted, such as those of the Central Asian Turks, Abbasids, Seljuks and Byzantines, and goes on to focus on diverse aspects of thisrich culinary culture, including etiquette, cooks, restaurants, military food, food laws and food trade. This meticulously researched account draws on more than six hundred primary and secondary sources, ranging from archive documents to poetry, and includes over one hundred illustrations. It is a fresh and lively insight into an empire that until recent decades has been sidelined or viewed through orientalist spectacles. Readers interested in food history and Ottoman history will enjoy this beautiful volume"--Publisher's description.
Bountiful Empire Hardback edition by Priscilla Mary Isin[1]
SEE ALSO: Sherbet and Spice: The Complete Story of Turkish Sweets and Desserts ISBN-139781848858985
Format Hardback,
Publishers I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd. ,
I.B. Tauris Publication date Nov 7, 2012
Pages336
Product dimensions 163 x 237 x 32mm
Weight670g
One hundred sculpted sugar lions, baklava the size of cartwheels a thousand layers thick, helva made in memory of the dead, rose jam in a hundred pots of Dresden china, violet sherbet for the sultan, and parrots addicted to sugar . . . the stories behind Turkey's huge variety of sweets and puddings, valued not only for their taste but as symbols of happiness, good fortune, and goodwill, are as fascinating as their flavor. This riveting exploration of their history and role in Turkish culture is a voyage of adventure, taking us from the sultan's palace to the homes of ordinary people in Turkey's villages and towns, and beyond to Central Asia, Persia, Arabia, and Egypt.
[1] Priscilla Mary Isin is a food historian and researcher. Her publications include A King's Confectioner in the Orient (2003) and Sherbet and Spice (2013), which traces the history of Turkish confectionery and desserts.