one of the three great food cultures of the world.

August 2, 2014 9:38 PM

The Imperial Kitchen

Among the kiosks, halls, reception chambers, and harem baths, I suspect that visitors today spend the least time of all in the palace kitchens—unless they have an interest in Chinese porcelain, which is displayed in there. Otherwise there’s nothing much to see, just a series of domed rooms. Outside you can count the ten pairs of massive chimneys, but there’s no smoke. It’s a pity that the building is so quiet, because it was in here, over four centuries, that one aspect of Istanbul’s imperial purpose was most vividly expressed.

posted by the man of twists and turns (6 comments total)

Wonderful, thanks for linking this. "Food is not only an expression of power; it is gossip, and friendship, too."
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:55 PM on August 2, 2014

That article is a gorgeous piece of writing. I'm not in any way a foodie but it had my senses reeling. And what a fascinating subject, thanks for posting.
posted by freya_lamb at 1:49 AM on August 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

I don't remember ever hearing the idea of 3 great food cultures before, but it seems like Istanbul is the current top destination of foodie travel writing. It's great to get the historical context behind that. Sometimes it's hard to fathom that a pre-modern imperial metropolis could rival our own in appetite, reach and diversity. Wow.
Now, I'm off to tell my Assassin's Creed loving son about the titles held by those sharp-dressed 16th-century Janissaries he murders for fun.
posted by putzface_dickman at 5:09 AM on August 3, 2014 [2 favorites]

Guess who has some lamb and eggplant in the fridge and is now fanatically looking for recipies?
posted by The Whelk at 8:03 AM on August 3, 2014 [1 favorite]

Delightful! We used to have a subscription to Lapham's, but lamentably, it was too pricey to keep renewing. Very glad you can get copies to read at libraries though!
posted by Kitteh at 8:09 AM on August 3, 2014

Three? I can easily think of five.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 9:35 AM on August 3, 2014