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A few notes from the Keith Floyd of ancient Muslim India

posted on Monday, August 25, 2008 11:48 AM

The travelogues of visitors to India from the fourteenth century onwards speak of the courtly Muslim ‘mat manners’ and eating customs which witnessed for the first time in northern India. Ibn Batuta the Arab explorer and gourmet journeyed in AD 1333 from his native Tangier through Khorasan and Kabul, over the Hindu Kush Mountains to the Indus valley. He visited Bengal on the invitation of Mohammed bin Tughlak and his observations are fascinating.

‘Before the dinner begins, the chamberlain stands at the head of the simat (an ornate carpet spread for the dinner) and performs the khidmat (a symbolic thanks to the Allah for food). The khidmat in India consists of bowing down to the knee as in prayer. After this the people sit down to eat; and are brought gold, silver and glass cups filled with fine sugar and water perfumed with rose oil which they call sherbet. The chamberlains resounding call ‘Bismillah’ echoed through the hall… the dishes followed in a set pattern at a grand dinner and often consisted of forty sumptuous courses’. Qashaq (spoon) and karad (knife) were used for serving food and carving meat and glass carafe for chilled water and sherbet. Food was eaten with fingers off large metal plates set on a dastar khwan (a tablecloth). Batuta writes ‘ to begin with khubi (loaves) are served which are very thin and resemble cakes of bread; then they cut the roasted meat into large pieces in such a manner that one sheep yields four to six pieces. One piece is placed before each man. Also they make round cakes of bread soaked in ghee; and in the midst of these they place the sweet called subunia made from a mixture of almonds, honey and sesame oil. On every piece of bread is placed a sweet cake called khisti meaning ‘bricklike’ and is a delicious preparation of flour, sugar and ghee. They then serve meat cooked in ghee, onion and green ginger served in black stone bowls. Then is bought a thing called, samusak, minced meat cooked with almonds, walnuts, pistachios, onions and aromatic hot spices which is stuffed inside thin bread and fried in ghee. In front of every person is placed from four to five such samusak. Then is brought a dish of rice cooked in ghee on the top of which is roasted fowl, next a kind of sweet which is called hashimi and then alqahiya a pudding made from wild bitter sweet honey. At the end of the meal Bismillah is called in thanksgiving. Spices wrapped in betel leaves and tied with red silk thread are offered to all. Everyone bows to the amir and takes his leave’.

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