The Sun.
London, England, 1841-09-16 00:00:00

THE EGYPTIAN KITCHEN -FOUR
THOIIeAND YEAe S AGO.
(From the WasinzinsL.T I?evicte.)
Front ti,e various h lichen ut-rnsils and din ler ses-
siees (some of which are ol elaborate streeture) in the
aew Egyptian-room at the Braish Museum, ;t may be
Teddy surmised that the culinary art among the Eeyp-
ians under the e ghteenth Theban dynasty had arrived
it a considerable degree of perfection. In effect, by a
somparison instituted between these extant relics of
the Egyptian kitchen in the above room and the illus-
trations referring to the same subject, which are placed
eefore us in the works of Champollien and Rossellini,
we shall be able to arrive at very precise conclusions as
.o the entire organization of the culinary department at
'he remote epoch (1800 8.C.) both as to the mode of
mounting," as the F; each professionally call it, an
Egyptian dinner-table under the Pharaohs, and as to
•he ge,neral cultivation of the gastronomic art. From
he illustrations it appears, that, to the kitchens of the
aoyal and aristocratic class were attache I shambles for
.htoghtering and jointing the meat, and poultry-yards,
with cages for fattening the poultry. Butchers are
Tpressnted alaughtering oxen in the manner usual
low, viz., by knocking them on the head with an axe,
%rid by bleeding the jugular vein. Assistants are em-
played •in cutting the meat into joints, while others
Ire occupied in carrying the joints so d.vided to the
kitchen. In some cases, men are represented selecting
the fattest poultry from the poultry-cages, and convey-
leg then to tte same department. Butchers appear
again to he employed in the kitchen for the purpose of
turther dissecting the the .t under the superintendence
of the "chief bikes." In Resseltni's Civil Monuments
of Egypt (plate 83), one of these assistant butchers is
sharpening his knife upon a steel suspended from his
waist, and which is ex.a tly similar to the steels esia-
ploy ed at the present time. We believe there is an in-
strument of this kind among the numerous and curious
examples of cutlery preserved in the new Egyptian room.
Dwarfs and ridiculously deformed persons are often seen
employed in the lower departments of the kitchen, as
they were in the time of Roman imperial luxury. In the
same plate to which we have referred, a large stove is
exhibited, near which a cook is putting a bullock's
heart into a cauldron (similer in ferm to the bronze
cauldrons with a swing handle in the Egyptian room),
while another is adding a joint of ribs of beef. in an
adjoining plate cooks are trussing the geese which are
brought to them from the fattening cagCs. Two of
these assistants arc in the act of boiling geese in a caul-
Aron, another is boiling a trussed goose over a grate
aid blowing the fire of the stove beneath with a bellows,
while a third appears to be salting or spicing seine deli.
(racy. The preparations for a great dinner on a sump-
tuous and extensive scale arc evident from the tomb of
Menoptha at Saccareh. Rossellini (page 4, plane 83)
represents two cooks occupied, the one in moulding,
and the other in baking delicacies of a round and fist
form, which, beyond a doubt, represents tartlets or
patties, delicacies which seem to have been much in
use among • the Egyptians, and for which the modern
pastry cooks of Cairo (see " Arabian Nights") are also
famous: They appear alter on tables laid out for din-
ner, intermixed with roast and boiled meats and %nee
sables of all descriptions. A pastrycook appears with
a tray of these patties on his head, to which the
symbol implying the arithmetical number one thousand
(orientally, the man of a thousand tarts) is appended,
no doubt, a iih a view of signifying the large consump-
_ tion of his trade. In one instance cooks- are employed
in forming dishes, appal estly meet pies, with raised
crusts, in the share of aaia als, rams, bullet, and gse•-e,
Zee. Two bakers, else attacued to the kitchen depart-
ment, and under the superilittndence of a chief baker
(see Genesis, chap. xl., verses 16 and 17), are working
the dough with their feet, and going through the various
operateona of bread-making. Loaves of " fancy brawl"
subsequently appear in various ornamental shapes, tri-
angles, squares, circles, &e. Tne hieroelypilies near
them intimate that they are made of barley, wheat,
millet, &e., like the cakes still preserved in the Egyptian
Room. They are often seen piled in profusion amidst
the various dainties of the banquet table. It does nut
appear, from the numerous representations of dinner
tables, that the Egyptians, at the era above stated, used
dinner cloths for the " festive board." Slaves, however,
are represented bringing napkins and water in vases to
the euests. Ewers and basins for holding water, of
elegant construction, appear sometimes on the tables.
In one instance supplied by Rossellini, a graceful youth,
ornamented with sandals, and iu a
.tasteful dress of
Greek character (possibly, therefore, a Greek slave), is
bringing water to the guests in a golden and highly-or-
namented basin. He has an elegant ewer of spotted
green porcelain slung by a cord to his arm. Knives
aid spoons were used, specimens of both 'of which are
in the Museum, but no utensils approaching to the
form of a fee k. The dishes appear usually to have
heen pi!ed confusedly on the table ; and vegetables,
roast ducks, fruit, fish, meat, and bread are placed to-
gether with little arrangement. There are instances, I
however, of more regtear distribution. In plate 88
(CAel Monuments of Rossellini) a table appears laid •
out systematically with tureens of soup or bailed
meat, fish, roasted ducks, vegetables, and fruit ;
vases far wine, cups, and goblets are iiitermixed,
arid in the midst is an epergne (an ornamented
basket of precious metals) with flowers in the fashion
of modern banquet tables. Plates and dishes were
certainly used by the Egyptians, inasmuch as Rome'-
tins exhibits a sideboard with dishes and plates appa-
rently of pottery, and of an elegant fashion (like some
of the Wedgewood ware) arranged upon it. In the
new Egyptian room will be found a profuse variety of
all the dishes used upon the ordinary Egyptian table ;
aid among them are curious chaffing wishes, with a
place for a sinall stove fir hot water beneath for
keeping the viands hot. Same, of the tureens and
covered dishes in that room (which are in pairs) are of
exceedingly tasteful form. Tney are usually of
pottery or of porcelain. But the golden and jewelled
banquet services of the Pharaohs are indeed
magnificent in materials, form, and decora-
tion. The st te of the culinary department of an
Egyptian private residence may be gathered from case
T, which is filled with bronze vases used for the various
purposes of cookery. Some of these resemble stewpans,
some the common saucepan, and some large boiler:.
Bowls, knives, spoons, and cups appear in cases K, U ,and
W. Specimens of the earthenware plates and dishes
of this ancient people are to be found in case R.
The cases N and Q contain an immense variety of ban-
queting cups, tureens, and vases in porcelain, glass,
earthenware, and alaaaater. Same of them are equally
splendid and curious, and worthy of adorning the ban-
queting tables of the magnificent line of princes who
ruled at 'Thebes.