Ramadan Meals During The Ottoman Empire

Yayın Tarihi : 12/25/2020 12:00:00 AM

Osmanli Döneminde Ramazan Yemekleri

Yazar, Veyis DURDU

Eski Anadolu Mutfagi, Tarihi ve Kültürü Arastirmacisi.

Antik Anadolu Mutfak Sanatlari I Egitmeni

UNESCO Yaratici Sehirler Agi Gastronomi Projeleri Danismani

Gastronomi Danismani, Executive Cook Chef

Birçok farkli kültürün kutsal sayilan aylari ve günleri vardir. Bu dönemlerin temel felsefesi hosgörü, paylasma ve sahip olduklarina sükretmektir.

Bu dönemlerde her kültür ve inanista farkli beslenme tarzlari ve geleneklerine iliskin yiyecekler ile insanlari ve aileleri bir araya getiren sofra ritüelleri de gözlemlenir.

Those old Ramazans represented many of the high spots of Ottoman Turkish cuisine. Even the humblest household bedecked their Ramazan tables with treats they could not normally afford , and with dishes associated particularly with that month. Meals and refreshments offered to guests reflected the polyphonic voice of th is imperial cuisine.

The month of Ramazan is not only a time of religious significance hut also a chapter of its own in Turkish cultural history. The evening meal known as iftar was marked hy its own special customs, family visits were exchanged , and a nation of normally early risers sat up until late or even promenaded in the illuminated streets , visited cafes and watched shadow plays . It was a way of celebrating Ramazan which took its cue from Istanbul , where these customs develope over the centuries.

Special delicacies adorned the tables to make up for the deprivation of fasting.

Those old Ramazans represented many of the high spots of Ottoman Turkish cuisine. Even the humblest house hold bedecked their Ramazan tables with treats they could not normally afford and with dishes associated particularly with that month. Meals and refreshments offered t o guests reflected the polyphonic voice of this imperial cuisine.

Güllaç is a dessert only made during Ramazan of tissue thin starch wafers with milk rosewater and nuts.

On the fifteenth day of Ramazan the sultan would visit the Holy Mantel of the Prophet and the palace kitchens would prepare huge round trays of Baklava for the janissaries, one tray to ich ten men, plus a tray which would he presented to the sultan.

Two janissaries would shoulder each tray and carry it off to their barracks ,returning them the next day together with the cloths which had covered them.

Preparing Baklava according to the high standards of those times was no mean feat, and one of the tests of an accomplished cook. No less than one hundred tissue thin sheets of pastry had to he layered in the tray, and when a gold sovereign was dropped from half a metre’s height above i t, the coin was expected to pierce right through the pastry and make contact with the bottom of the tray.

Cooks who passed this rigorous test were rewarded for their skill, and Baklava which failed the test was sent hack in disgrace to the kitchen.

Baklava delicate sweet pastry epitomising Turkish culinary skill going back many centuries

One of the traditional hot entrees to a Ramazan meal was eggs with onions palace style.

This simple sounding dish was in fact a delicacy fit for a gourmet when prepared by the palace cooks , who rivalled one another to produce the finest on a specified night in Ramazan.

Having attached papers with their names to the pans , the sultan would taste each of them one by one and select the best. That cook would then be appointed to the post of chief pantry keeper for the year.

The secret of the delicious flavour was to stir the onions in butter over a low heat for three to three and a half hours. There were many other customs associated with Ramazan.

For example , following iftar at the palace the intendant of the kitchens would prepare an aromatic tisane for the sultan, the grand vezir and the other vezirs.

This infusion containing Car- duelis spinus, cyclamen, Indian aloe, calambac agalloch , acacia gum , cochineal, soapwort , sesame root, musk, orange flower water and rose water would be filtered and presented to the sultan’s vezirs and high ranking officials in gilded or plain bottles and bowls according to their status.

This gift took the place of an invitation to attend the ceremony of the Holy Mantle on the fifteenth of the month.

The wealthy held open table throughout Ramazan, and anyone who knocked on the door at iftar time would be invited in to eat at tables laid in the halls. On one occasion as the hour of iftar approached Mahmud II ordered his barge to berth at Salacak on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus , and arrived at the house of a prominent official named Durrizade Abdullah whose reputation as a lover of fine food had reached the palace.

His wife and servants were in a panic, hut Dürrizade Abdullah invited the sultan to the table .calmly and gave orders to bring in any extra specialities the kitchen had to offer. The dishes served in gold plates came up to the sultan’s expectations and he enjoyed his delicious meal. Finally it was time for the stewed fruit , which traditionally rounded off Turkish meals.

Bu, berrak kristal bir kase kulübede tuhaf bir sekilde bulutlanmis bir cam ulumayla sunuldu ve II.Mahmud, yemegin geri kalaninda evin en iyi esyalarini servis ettikten sonra sasirdi.

Dürrizade, asçinin hosafin kokulu parfümlü meyve suyunu sulamadan soguk tutmasi için özel bir kasesi oldugunu açikladi.

"Nasil yasanacagini biliyorsun dostum," II.Mahmud hayranlikla ilan etti. Geçmis Ramazanlarin bu ihtisami ve savurganliginin çogu bir daha geri dönmemis olsa da, oruç ayini kutlamak, akraba, komsu ve dostlarla bir araya gelmek için özel yemeklerle özenle hazirlanmis sofralarin zamanidir.