Smyrna times., 1888-09-26
THE SULTAN'S KEEPING.
THE TURKISH RULER ALWAYS EATS
ENTIRELY ALONE.

EeeuluB INC army OF SeEFaHtS anu OAA-
cers--The sultan's Big Farms-Waste
and Extravaganza in tho Kitchen-One
Years Expenses.
The food for the sultan is cooked by
one man and his aids, and none others
touch it. 1t is cooked in silver vessels,
and when done each kettle is sealed by a
slip of paper and stamp, and this is
broken in the presence Of the sultan by
the high chamberlain, who takes one
spoonful of each separate kettle before
the sultan tastes it. This is to prevent
tue sultan's being poisoned. The food is
almost always served up to the sultan in
the same vessels in which it was cooked,
and these are often of gold; but when a
baser metal, the kettle is set into a rich,
golden bell shaped holder, the handle of
which is held by slave while the sultan
eats. Each kettle is a course, and is
served with bread and kind of pancake,
which is held on a golden tray by another
slave.
1t requires Just twice as many slaves
as there are courses to serve dinner to
him. He usually sits on divan near a
window, which looks out over the Bos-
phorus, and takes his ease and comfort in
a loose pembazar and gegelik, with his
sleeves turned up. After he has eaten
all he wants the sultan takes his coffee
and his chilbouk anG lies back in an
ecstasy Of enjoyment and quiet reverie,
which he calls taking his keif. Woe be
to the one who comes to disturb it.
The food being cooked outside of the
palace makes it necessary to have bell
shaped felt covers to clap down tightly
over each kettle, which has been placed
on a tray. For the sultan and royal
family there are magnificent velvet covers
which go over the outside of these, en-
broidered with gold and silver threads
and pearl, coral or turquOis beads. Those
for others are not so handsome.
The sultan is served first, and he always
eats entirely alone, never under any cir
cumstances deigning to eat with any one,
and as soon as he has begun to eat the
harem is served. The sultan never uses
plate. He takes all his food direct from
the little kettles, and never uses a table
and rarely a knife or fork. A spoon, his
bread or pancake or fingers are far
handler. The whole household is at lib
erty to take meals where it suits him OF
| her best, and thus every one is served
with small tray, with a spoon, a great
chunk of bread, and the higher ones only
| get the pancakes.
After the harem the officers of the i'm
perial body guard, the eunuchs, the cham
berlains and other high functionaries are
| fed, they usually being seated around a
| table, and the kettles are offered each one,
| who helps himself to one or two spoon
| fUls of the contents of each. 1t is not
| etiquette to take more, no matter how
nice the dish nor how hungry, but as the
number of dishes is always so great no
one need go hungry.
After all the officers and others Of high
degree are fed the soldiers and servants
| get their food and at the same time all
the men employed in the imperial stables
have theirs, and during the progress of
the meals any stranger, whoever it may
be, is at liberty to come in and seat him
self and eat. As a general rule three
hundred persons are fed every day who
have no earthly right except what the
laws of hospitality give. 1t is a sort OF
perpetual free lunch, and beggars as well
as rich men avail themselves Of this royal
bounty.
The sultan has number of very large
farms, some of them covering miles in ex
tent, both in European Turkey and AsiatiC
Turkey, and these are intended to supply
all those things which farms can produce
/ W bAAO BelAclOGs O4lG VI ILCoG Ad44Llo ID uCdl
Tchatchaldja, where the government i.
nOwa about building fortress, and another
at Abbey -Keni, both of these within easy
ride from Constantinople. There are two
others at Kouchoukchickmedie and Bo
youkchOulzmedje These are all neal
| COnstantinople. The others are in Asii
Minor On these much of the grain anC
food Of tho horses are raised. They are
or were titled by the compulsory labor o.
the Bulgarians, large numbers of then
being obliged by cOnscriptiOn to serve 81
many months year on these farms. Thel
| were tied together like cattle and brough
by force and treated like brutes. Thi
was a sort of tax duty which they wer
obliged to pay in labor. 1t may not be s.
now, but probably is.
The soil of Turkey is very fertile an
productive, and from these farms annu
ally are brought on donlleys and in boat
tons upon tons Of vegetables of all kinds
milk, butter and cheese, mutton, eggs
poultry and fruit. The amount in tn
aggregate is suspendous, and yet it is NO
a quarter enough for the needs of tina
household. Nearly all the tobacco, how
ever, comes from these farms, and is G
the finest quality.
quality. They do not grow rice, and,
, consequence, buy nearly one ton of ric
per day for the inevitable pilaff, 60
pounds Of sugar, as much coffee, to sa
nothing Of the other groceries, fruit
vegetables and meat. Rice, mutton an
bread form the greater part Of food for til
majority Of Turks; yet, aside from thes
they get away with one ton of beef an
half ton of veal per day, to say notl
ing of the other viands and fish, swee
meats, confectionery, nuts and dried an
fresh fruits. The waste and extravi
gance in the kitchen are enormous, an
enough is thrown away every day /
maintain q hundred families. Much
this is gathered up by beggars, and Il
dogs cat the rest.
The estimate is that it costs per year
supply the food for the sultans hous
hold, horses and animals, aside fro
the value of the product of the va
farms, very nearly if not qui
$5,000,000; cost of furniture, beddir
- and carpets, $3,000,00O; drugs, women
clothes, jewels and cosmetics, SIC, 1000, ,OO
caprices Of all kinds, $4,000, 900; sultan
clothes and bedding, 81, ,0O0, 900; sundrie
9 presents and servants wages, $4,000, 90
plate, gold and silver dishes, 81, 2,5OO,O ,OO
carriages, 474 of them, $474, 600 Tot;
$41,474,000. That is a snug little SUI
but it is an under rather than an owe
estimate, as every one who has lived lol
IA in Turkey and had means of Judging a.
Il seeing the reckless extravaganza Of t
royal household will copcede.-New Yo
q, Herald.