Bountiful Empire: A History of Ottoman Cuisine

by Priscilla Mary Işın

The Ottoman Empire was one of the largest and longest-lasting empires in history—and one of the most culinarily inclined. In this powerful and complex concoction of politics, culture, and cuisine, the production and consumption of food reflected the lives of the empire’s citizens from sultans to soldiers. Food bound people of different classes and backgrounds together, defining identity and serving symbolic functions in the social, religious, political, and military spheres. In Bountiful Empire, Priscilla Mary Işın examines the changing meanings of the Ottoman Empire’s foodways as they evolved over more than five centuries.

Işın begins with the essential ingredients of this fascinating history, examining the earlier culinary traditions in which Ottoman cuisine was rooted, such as those of the Central Asian Turks, Abbasids, Seljuks, and Byzantines. She goes on to explore the diverse aspects of this rich culinary culture, including etiquette, cooks, restaurants, military food, food laws, and food trade. Drawing on everything from archival documents to poetry and featuring more than one hundred delectable illustrations, this meticulously researched, beautiful volume offers fresh and lively insight into an empire and cuisine that until recent decades have been too narrowly viewed through orientalist spectacles.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Food

272 pages, Hardcover

Published June 15, 2018

Reviews

[Ekim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book because I failed at finding any Turkish books of Mary Işın. I have already known her works from other scholars working in the same field. However, reading Işın's work added so much depth to my understanding of the topic.

The book is divided into many subcategories allowing you to study specific areas. Since the book involves translations of meals, ingredients, equipment and professionals, it functions as a form of a terminology handbook as well.

[Cosmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing, delicious, interesting...

[Rhianwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book.

But for someone unfamiliar with Turkish cuisine (modern or Ottoman) it might be quite hard going. A huge amount of research has gone into this and the book expects you to be able to keep up with the terms and names of the dishes without repeating itself endlessly.

Half a star off for the abrupt and rather depressing finish to the book.

[Bilge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kolay ve anlasilir bir sekilde yazilmis iyi bir inceleme kitabi. Ama bazi bölümlerde tarafli olundugu, Osmanli yardimseverliginin abartildigi düsünüyorum. Tarihteki hicbir imparatorluk mükemmel degildi ve bu objektif bir sekilde yansitilabilir. Ama büyük olasilik bu sekilde yazilsaydi basim ve satis ile ilgili sorunlar yasayabilirdi.

[Alia Amir · Rating 5 out of 5]

The history of Ottoman Cuisine couldn't have gotten anything better than this! Mary Işın takes you by the hand and delves into the delicious history of Ottoman Cuisine!

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is hands down the single best book on the history of Ottoman cuisine. I have read many books written by modern Turkish scholars, but they are often circular, each quoting each other, and making the same comments repeatedly. They are useful but fail to discuss the influences of the variety of ethnic and religious populations in the Ottoman capitals and other regions. The authors are clearly constraining themselves to the governmental line.

Mary's book is not constrained by Turkish nationalism. This is not a cookbook, although it has an occasional recipe. Rather, it honestly discusses Turkic, Jewish, Byzantine, Christian, Persian, and other influences on the development of cuisine in the Ottoman Empire over the many centuries of its existence. It includes information on the changing array of ingredients, dining etiquette, the effects of uprisings within the empire on the availability of foods, and governmental controls related to food. It is beautifully illustrated in color with Ottoman art, photographs, and illustrations by Europeans who visited the Empire. Very highly recommended.