Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-05-16

whmR inc mach ANA aho RoeR LAS An
pexnfa Dnamty Dishes.

Sheep are roasted whole IN ovens, anu
sold hot By the slice. The sleeps heads
ard feet are boiled separately. and their
preparation and sale is a trade in itself.
But the edible most ia favor among al
classes il Persia Is the kabah. There
ere two varieties al kabab. One Is made
from minced mutton. which is chopped
with few onions into IA paste fine IS
sausage meat, carefully nodded over .
skewer. toasted over fierce charcoal IRE,
aud sold and eaten hot. This is the
lxabab Of the bazaar, the delicacy Of the
lower classes.
AT the dinner hour (sunset) and at the
breakfast hour (noon) crowds surround
the shops Of the kabab sellers Each
man carries his bread, which is usually
flexible loaf TWO feet long, foot wide.
and half an inch thick. The customer
wraps his lxababs, hot from the fire, IN
his bread, and either sits down and
eats It then and there or takes the meal
home to his family. In any case, a hot
dinner Of roast meat can be obtained Tor
from one penny to threepence head,
for the price OF q single skewer OF the
steaming delicacy is but halfpenny.
Jars containing about half pint Of hot,
strong, and savory meat soup are sold for
a penny. These form the invariable
meal Of the Persian soldier, If he can
afford it. The meat is pounded and
served with the soup or eaten afterward
as separate plate.
But in Persia, as in the rest of the
East, bread rice or dates are the real
food-the meat merely the sauce or
bonnie bouche Persians of all ages are
stantly devouring sweets. These are
generally pure and good; but there is
little variety in color, most OF them be-
ing white. and nearly all are favored
with lemon juice.
The lower-class Persian will eat several
pounds of grapes, cucumbers or aprlcots
for a meal; they eat onions as we eat
apples Pomegranates and melons are
in great demand as food, and tho melons
which run to fourteen pounds in weight,
| are very nutritious. Cucumbers are
looked on as d fruit, and are eaten in
large quantities by rich and poor. They
are not indigestible Seven pounds
weight may be often had for a half-pen-
nv. Grapes in infinite variety and of the
most delicious kinds, from the huge long
grape, which measures two inches, to
the tiny sultana, sweet as honey to the
taste.
The curds or mast is simply made by
adding small portion of the rennet or
else old curds to warmed milk; in few
hours it sets into q mass, the cream on
the top. If eaten the first day, it is like
a iunket: If allowed to remain, it be-
comes sour, and will keep good any time.
In this sour state it is preferred, and Is
eaten with honey, sugar, or grape sugar.
Eggs boiled hard aud dyed gay color
are much eaten; from forty TO fifty can
be had for 3D. These things, then, form
the cheap and varied diet Of the working
classes. Beef, too, is eaten by them ;
never by the well-to-do.
The townspeople and the wealthy
among the Persians devote much atten-
ton to good living. Breakfast generally
is a comparatively light meal, but con-
sists of several plats Of varying merit,
but always served hot; it is taken about
noon. At about o'clock at night din
ner is served. Persian cookery is ex-
travagant-partly because the Persians
are lavishly hospitable, partly because
all house servants are fed from the leav-
ings OF the masters table. Kababs of
another kind to those we have described
| take the palm among Persian dishes to
the European taste, probably because
| they are free from grease. Small pieces
of lamb, the size of a walnut, are skew
cred on a slender rod of iron; two pieces
Of lean and piece of the delicate fat of
the huge tail of the Oriental sheep are
put on alternately, soupcon Of garlic or
onion is added, and the kabab is toasted
over q fierce fire and handed hot; it is
eaten with little salt and squeeze of
lemon.
Pillaws are merely boiled meat, veni-
son, or fowls smothered in mountains of
rice. This rice is delicately boiled, and
! little clarified butter is added. We
fear to say how much pillaw a Persian
| will consume. Tiny chickens, quails,
pigeons, doves, and young partridges
are handed hot on the spit itself to each
guest Except the partridge. game is
not much appreciated in Persia. The
hare is not eaten by the religious. and
there are no rabbits.
Fish is seldom seen, save on the sea
coast. Entrees of various kinds are
served. They are nearly always eaten
/ with boiled rice, which is served plain,
| without butter, and termed chillaw
Among such entrees are the fzzinjahn,
which consists of chicken, partridge, or
/ lamb meat boiled to rags, served hot with
sauce Of pounded walnuts, pomegran-
ate juice, and clarified butter. A similar
entTee is made upon the same bases with
unripe grapes and butter; another with
stewed apricots and butter, or stcwcd
plums of Bokhara and butter. All these
are eaten with large quantities Of plain
boiled rice, seemingly very rich, vet in
combination with the rice they are to the
Persian taste delicious, and Europeans
-esiding in Persiafsoon appreciate them.
Confectionery and pastry are consumed
large quantities. Lambs week old.
and weighing only a few pounds are
roasted whole and stuffed with dates,
raisins, chestnuts, pistachios, and al
monds Ducks, tame or wild. are NOT