Treasure Trove of Benefits and Variety at the Table : English Translation, with an Introduction and Glossary.

725 Pages·2017·21.459 MB·English

by  Nawal Nasrallah

Treasure Trove of Benefits and Variety at the Table: A Fourteenth-Century
Egyptian Cookbook
Islamic History and
Civilization
studies and texts
Editorial Board
Hinrich Biesterfeldt
Sebastian Günther
Honorary Editor
Wadad Kadi
VOLUME 148
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/ihc
Treasure Trove of Benefits
and Variety at the Table
A Fourteenth-Century
Egyptian Cookbook
English Translation, with an Introduction and Glossary by
Nawal Nasrallah
LEIDEN | BOSTON
Cover illustration: “Firing up the Poet’s Kettle,” folio 247 from MS Divan of Anvari, 1588, ascribed to Nanha;
by kind permission of Harvard Art Museum/Arthur Sackler Museum, Gift of John Goelet, formerly in the
collection of Louis J. Cartier, 1960. 117.247.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Nasrallah, Nawal, translator.
Title: Treasure trove of benefits and variety at the table : a
 fourteenth-century Egyptian cookbook / English translation, with an
 introduction and glossary by Nawal Nasrallah.
Other titles: Kanz al-fawāʾ⁠id fi ̄tanwiʿ̄ al-mawāʾ⁠id. English
Description: Leiden ; Boston : Brill, [2018] | Series: Islamic history and
 civilization ; V. 148 | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017040760 (print) | LCCN 2017043260 (e-book) | ISBN
 9789004349919 (E-book) | ISBN 9789004347298 (hardback : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Cooking, Arab—Early works to 1800. | Cooking,
 Egyptian—Early works to 1800.
Classification: LCC TX725.A7 (e-book) | LCC TX725.A7 K2913 2018 (print) | DDC
 641.5962/09023—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017040760
Typeface for the Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic scripts: “Brill”. See and download: brill.com/brill-typeface.
issn 0929-2403
isbn 978-90-04-34729-8 (hardback)
isbn 978-90-04-34991-9 (e-book)
Copyright 2018 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Brill Hes & De Graaf, Brill Nijhoff, Brill Rodopi and
Hotei Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without prior written permission from the publisher.
Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided
that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive,
Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change.
This book is printed on acid-free paper and produced in a sustainable manner.
To Sara El-Sayed and Bassem Khalifa, pioneers of the Slow Food
Movement in Egypt, for their commendable efforts to promote Egyptian
food heritage through their organizational and documentary projects
Nawaya (اياون), Baladini (ينيدلب), Ma7ali (يلحم), and Ma7sool (لوصحم).
And to our mutual friend Lena Alazawi, who introduced me to them.

Contents
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xiii
List of Figures xiv
Notes on Translating the Text xviii
Introduction 1
Part I: The Making of the Kanz al-fawāʾid 1
1 The Text 3
2 The Provenance 8
3 Date and Sources 13
4 A Case of Abridged Borrowing: Kanz al-fawāʾid and Zahr
al-ḥadīqa 19
Part Ii: Medieval Egyptian Food Culture 20
5 Diet and Formation of a Cuisine 20
6 What was Cooking in Medieval Cairo? 26
7 The Culture of Food and Cooking 33
8 Shopping and Eating Out 38
Part III 44
9 Medieval Egyptian Cooking as Reflected in the Kanz
al-fawāʾid 44
10 Eating in Good Health 53
Infinite Benefits of Variety at the Table, Containing Twenty-Three
Chapters on Cooking Foods, by Various Knowing Experts
1 Indispensable Instructions For Cooks 66
2 How to Knead Bread Dough and Bake It; and Making Varieties of Bread:
Enhanced (muṭayyab), Seeded (mubazzar), Salted (mamlūḥ),
and More 79
3 Measures Taken When Drinking Water, in a muzammal, and Chilled
with Ice (thalj maḍrūb) 83
4 Qualities of Air-Cooled Water and What the Physicians Said About
It 84
viii CONTENTS
5 Miscellany of Dishes 85
6 Making murrī (Liquid Fermented Sauce), and Preserving Sour Grape
Juice (māʾ al-ḥiṣrim) and Lemon Juice (māʾ al-laymūn) 162
7 Eggs Cooked as Omelets and Other Dishes 171
8 Vegetarian Dishes (muzawwarāt al-buqūl) for the Nourishment of the
Sick 184
9 All Kinds of Dishes Made with Different Varieties of Fish 193
10 Making All Kinds of Sweets (ḥalwā) 211
11 Digestive Stomachics (juwārishnāt), Electuaries (maʿājin), and Drinks
(ashriba) Offered Before and After the Meal 250
12 Making fuqqāʿ (Foamy Beer), and Other Drinks 270
13 Dried-Apricot Compote (naqūʿ al-mishmish) 290
14 Making Preparations Which Relieve Nausea (adwiyat al-qaraf) 295
15 Making Mustard [Condiments], Mild and Pungent Hot 305
16 On Making Table Sauces (ṣulūṣāt) 315
17 Of Dishes Made with Dairy (albān): kawāmikh (Fermented
Condiments), jājaq (Drained-Yogurt Condiment), Condiments
with kabar (Capers), and zaʿtar (Thyme), bīrāf (Clotted Cream),
and the Like 323
18 All Kinds of Pickled Turnips and Onions, Pickling Fruits and
Vegetables of All Kinds, and Preserving Lemons, Damascus Citron
and the Like, in Salt 340
19 Making Cold Dishes (bawārid) 378
CONTENTS ix
20 On Aromatics (ṭīb), and the Properties of Toothpicks (khilāl) Made
from Willow Wood (ṣafṣāf) and Egyptian Willow
Twigs (ʿīdān al-khilāf) 392
21 Varieties of Aroma-Diffusing Incense, Which Fortify Spirit and Heart;
Aromatizing Pills; Deodorants; and Other Preparations 403
22 Top Quality Perfumed Powders (dharāʾir mulūkiyya) and Other
Preparations 421
23 Storing Fresh Fruits and Keeping Them to Use After Their
Season 438
Glossary
1 Beverages for Pleasure and Health 457
2 Breads, Grains, Pasta, Noodles, and Sweet and Savory Pastries 465
3 Dairy 478
4 Desserts, Sweeteners, and Conserves for Pleasure and Health 481
5 Dishes and Prepared Foods: Main and Side Dishes, Snacks,
Condiments, Pickles, Dips, and Table Sauces 492
6 Fats and Oils 503
7 Fruits and Nuts 506
8 Ingredients Used in Foods and Medicinal Preparations: Herbs, Spices,
Aromatics, Minerals, Food Colors, and Seasoning Sauces 529
9 Kitchen and Cooking Implements, and Culinary Techniques and
Terms 576
10 Meat 609