The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1885-08-20
IN THE ORIENT.
WHAT THE NATIVES EAT IN PERSIA.
The Good, Cheap Food OF the Poor
and the Dainty Dishes OF the
wealthy.

The Good, Cheap Food Of the Poor
and the Dainty Dishes OF the
wealthy.
In every large town cook shops abound.
Sheep are roasted whole IN ovens, and sold
hot by the slice, The sleeps heads and
feet are boiled separately, and their prep
aration and sale is trade in itself But
the edible most in favor among all classes
in Persia is the kabab There are two
varieties of kabab, One is made from
few onions into paste fine as sausage
meat, carefully moulded over the skewer
toasted over fierce charcoal fire, and
eaten hot This is the kabab OF the
bazaar, the dclicacy of the lower classes.
At the dinner hour (sunseD and at the
breakfast hour (noon) crowds surround
the shops of the kabab sellers. Each man
carries his bread. which is usually n
flexible loaf two feet long, Il foot wide and
half an inch thich. The customer wraps
his kababs, hot from the fire, in his bread
and either sits down and eats it then aad
there or takes the meal home to his family
In any case, a hot dinner of roast meat
can be obtained from one penny to three
pence head, for the price OF a single
skewer of the steaming delicacy is but n
halfpenny. Jars containing about half a
pint of hot, strong and savory meat soup
are sold for penny. These form the in
variable meal of the Persian soldier If he
can afford it. The meat is pounded and
served with the soup or eaten afterward
as separate plat.
But in Persia, as well rs in the rest of
the East, bread, rice, or dates are the real
food-the meat merely the sauce or
bonnie bOuchc. Persians of all ages are
very fond of confectionery. and are con-
stantly devouring sweets These are gen
orally pure and good but there is little
variety In color, most OF them being
white, and nearly all are Favored with
lemon juice.
The lower Persian will eat several
pounds of grapes, cucumbers, or apricots
for a meal; they eat onions rs we do
apples. Pomegranates and melons are in
great demand as food, and the melons,
are very nutritious. Cucumbers are
looked on as fruit and are eaten in
large quantities by rich AMI poor. Taey
are not ndigeStibe Seven pounds
weight may be often had for hallpcnny.
Grapes in infinite variety and of the most
delicious kinds, from the huge long grape,
which measures two inches, to the tiny
sultana, sweet rs 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 Il
junket; If allowed to remain, it becomes
sour, and will keep good any time. In
this sour state it is preferred. and Is eaten
Wi hnrtnN Etr,ru
boiled hard and dyed a, gay color are
much eaten; from forty to fifty can be
had for Sd. 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 towns people and the wealthy among
the Persians devote much attention to
good living. Breakfast generally Is a com
paratively light meal, but consists of sew
aral pldts of varying merit but always
served hot: it is taken about noon. At
about s o'clock at night dinner is served.
Persian cookery is extraordinarily
because the Persians are lavishly
hospitable, partly because all house serv-
ants are fed from the leavings of the mas
ters's table. Kababa 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 skewered on a slen-
der rod of iron; two pieces of lean and a
piece of the delicate fat of the huge tail of
the Oriental sheep are put on alternately,
a SOupC0n of garlic or onion is added, and
the kabab is toasted over a fierce fire and
handed hot; it is eaten with Il little salt
and a squeeze of lemon.
Pillaws are merely boiled meat, venison,
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 Persian will consume.
young cartridges are handed hot Oh the
spit itself to each guest. Except the par
fridge, game is not much appreciated in
Persia. The hare is not eaten by the re-
ligious, 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 chttldD.
Among such entrees are the tizzinjdlrl,
which consists of a chicken, partridge, or
lamb meat boiled to rags, served hot with
sauce of pounded walnuts, pomegranate
juice, and clarified batter. y similar en-
tree is made upon the same bases with
unripe grapes and butter: another with
stewed apricots and butter, or stewcd
plums of BOlSsara and butter. All these
are eaten with large quantities of plain
boiled rice, seemingly very rich, yet in
combination with the rice they are TO the
Persian taste delicious, and Europeans
residing in Persia soon appreciate them.
Confectionery and pastry are consumed
in large quantities. Lambs u week old,
and weighing only few pounds: are
roasted whole and stuffed with dates,
raisins, chestnuts, pistachios and almonds.
Ducks, tame or wild, are not much liked.
| Sherbct, in large china bowls, is always
| served ut dinner. 1t consists of fruit
| Syrups or can Sdcree it is usually iced,
and drunk from huge wooden spoons.
| These are sometimes so thin as to be in
| parts transparent: they are of native
manufacture and del!cately carved. They
are often of great value, and the wealth
of a Persian is often shown in the variety
and value of his wooden sherbet spoons
In its way the Persian cuisine is as
scientific as that of France. Everything
is good and plentiful; there are no adul
teratons the only fault is on the side of
profusion. The free use of clarified but
| ter, it must be remembered is to enable
the partaker to swallow the rice which is
served with most dishes. Unlike the
Turk, the Persian never serves dish that
is nasty. We once saw Il Turkish dish
which consisted of aubergines stuffed
with garlic stewed in OIL and eaten cold
It had the rather appropriate name Of
"the Imam tainted !"
Persian dinners are always preceded b,
pipes (hubble-bubblesl, while tea anf
sweets are handed around The
servants bring in long leather
sheet and place it on the ground. III,
guests take their seats around it. 5 uatn:
on the ground. A fiat loaf of bread. OF tn,
kind we have described, is placed te!or,
each man. Music plays. The dinner il
brought i'll on trays and placed on th'
ground on the leatlern sheet the cover
are removed; the host says " Bismillah
c' In the name Of God y, and in silenc
all fall to with their fingers. There is III
talking at dinner, and when it is over al
retire to rest or return to their homes u
once.
pOktOfsice Faffs.