4/25/2018 Phases of Turkish Cuisine - Ottoman Cuisine (1299-1923)

CULINARY CULTURE

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

Cuisine of Central Asian Turks

Seljuk Cuisine

Ottoman Period

Ottoman Kitchen
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Phases of Turkish Cuisine - Ottoman Cuisine (1299-1923)

Neighboring Cuisines on
Ottoman Lands
Nevin Halıcı
Phases of Turkish Cuisine - In the Ottoman period, during the first sultan’s time, more basic cuisine
Ottoman Cuisine
was encountered compared to the Seljuq’s. In Sultan Murat the second’s
The Influence of Turkish time, Austria’s ambassador, De La Brukiyer, told that the Sultan and some
Cuisine people ate rice pilaf with meat accompanied with music by a special
instruments goup, then drank something in special cups filled from a
Republic Period
container, its interior wasn’t seen and was situated on a level too high to
OTTOMAN HERITAGE easily see inside them.

Mehmet the Conqueror offered only burani ( a vegetable dish with garlic-
FOOD AND SOCIAL LIFE
yogurt) and helva, at a meeting held with statesmen in the palace in
REGIONAL CUISINE Istanbul. The variety of dishes increased to twenty-three in Yavız Sultan
Selim’s time. The Sultan was looking at all the dishes and choosing only
RECIPES one to eat.

INGREDIENTS Melmet the Conqueror defined the special government people acceptance
ceremony systems of empire, and table rules with their own protocol in
DRINKS his famous written law document in the palace which he had constructed
after he had conquered Istanbul in 1453 and was completed in 1478. Here
FOOD & TOURISM
he told how the ministers, minister of finance, and other palace related
DICTIONARY members would eat and, besides he stated that he would not eat with
anybody else except his family by this special article “Cenab-t Şerifim ile
VIDEOS kımesne taam yemek kammum değıldır, meğer kı ehlı ıyalden ola. Esdad-ı
ızamım vizerasryla yermi, ben refetmişimdir” (Old Turkish).
EVENTS
The kitchen in the new palace was composed of four domes. “Kushane
LINKS kitchen” was the most important section and here, dishes were prepared
in small pans and little portions were served to the Sultan. Dishes for the
sultan’s mother, sons, and privilaged people from the Harem, were

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4/25/2018 Phases of Turkish Cuisine - Ottoman Cuisine (1299-1923)

cooked in ‘has’ kitchen. Dishes were prepared in the Harem kitchen,

kapıagasi kitchen, Divan-u Humayun kitchen, and in the kitchens for other
palace personnel according to their rank.

The person responsible for the palace kitchens was kilerci basi, (pantry
chief) this was a triple headed team who ran the kitchen work as the
executive chef of each seperate kitchen and kitchen emin. (supply chief)
who arranged the materials for each kitchen.

It is understood that the classification seen in Mevlevi places in the 13th

century and which improved in Mehmet the Conqueror’s time, from the
personnel in the palace kitchen to include; bread makers, dessert makers,
helva makers, pickle makers and yogurt makers.

The largest developing period of Turkish cuisine is in the Ottoman period.

In this period; Turkish cuisine improved in the specialization of the chefs
triangle of the palace, mansion and other cooks and created the Classical
Turkish Cuisine, that ıs, Istanbul cuisine. Both in the palace, and in
mansions the cooks drive to perform the best and the effort to create
developed into a contest-like atmosphere, this is one of the important
factos playing a key role ın cuisine development. Besides these factors,
the transfer of the best quality foodstuffs from all over the empire to
Istanbul, and the prevention of selling poor quality goods; satisfying the
improvement in the cuisine were striking the eye.

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