Ottoman Confectionary Seminar By Mary Işın
Mary Işın started her speech by explaining “aşure” one of the most significant desserts of Ottoman culinary culture, that contains wheat and pulses like chickpeas, white beans and various dried fruits. She talked about some other types desserts that contain wheat, as it is considered an important staple and all the desserts that contain wheat carry a symbolic meaning.
In Islamic belief, whole wheat was regarded as the forbidden fruit rather than the apple. Ms. Işın explained the significance of this via a picture of a miniature where Eve is portrayed as holding a bunch of wheat in her hand. Mary Işın added that, “In my opinion it makes more sense that Adam gave Eve some wheat, because however nice apples are they did not create a revolution, one can live without apples.”
Mary Işın, talked about some other significant desserts like zerde, that was especially significant for circumcision ceremonies during Ottoman periods. Then she moved on to baklava. “And then there is baklava, which is a very interesting dessert. Every year on the 15th of Ramadan, there would be a big feast given to the soldiers, and every 10 soldiers was given a tray of baklava to take away in a procession event in İstanbul in the past”.
She then told an interesting story;
“A foreign ambassador who was visiting the Grand vizier was fed a feast and when it was time to eat baklava, he refused because he had no room. So the Grand vizier said to him, ‘What would you do if your king had come into a crowded room?’ The foreign official answered, ‘Well we will all press back one another in order to make room’. Then the grand vizier said, ‘well thats what you have to do, you have to press the food and make room for baklava.”
Following the seminar, the guests were offered various desserts, the most interesting one being the iron fritters in sherbet from Erzurum.
18 December 2013
