A true follower of the Prophet will refrain from wine, as prohibited by the Koran. The popular belief about the cause of the prohibition is that Mohammed when on his way to the mosque one day saw a band of his followers, whose happy looks and gay laughter made a pleasant impression upon him. He inquired the cause, and was told that they were lively through having partaken of wine; he approvingly smiled and passed on. On his return the scene of merriment was changed to one of strife and bloodshed, and he was informed that it was the result of drunkenness. He then laid a curse upon the liquor that had occasioned the disaster, and upon all who should thenceforth indulge in it.
Coffee in Turkey is prepared in a manner far superior to that of any other country. I will give the recipe for its preparation for the benefit of any who may like to try it. Water is placed in a peculiarly-shaped coffee-pot with a long handle and a beak-shaped spout. This is pushed sideways against a charcoal fire, and when the water has arrived at the boiling point it is withdrawn, a small quantity of its contents poured into a cup and a few spoonfuls of finely-pulverized coffee (according to the number of cups required) is mixed in the coffee-pot, which is again placed against the fire and the contents gently shaken up once or twice while a thick scum rises on the surface. Before it has time to boil up again it is again withdrawn and the water that had been poured out is put back. It is then replaced on the fire, and when finally withdrawn is gently knocked once or twice, and after standing a few moments is poured out and served.
Sugar, not taken by the Turks, may be added before or after boiling. There is some little art required in the making, but the quality of the coffee and the manner in which it is roasted are the most important points. The roasting must be done to a turn, leaving the coffee, when ground, a rich golden brown.
Milk, very plentiful in the country, is made into very indifferent cheese, excellent clotted cream, called Kaymak, and sour cream, called Yaourt. The latter, being very cheap and good, forms a great part of the nourishment of the people; it is prepared and sold in large dairy-pans, which the vendors carry on their heads. One of these pans served some years ago in a practical joke that the gay jeunesse of our Embassy played in the Prince’s Islands on an Armenian tutor, who mentor-like followed three young ladies in their walks, evidently to the dislike of the lively ladies and the scheming young diplomatists, who had made up their minds to steal a kiss from the cheeks of the young beauties should occasion offer. During a meeting of the parties, a Yaourtji passing by at the moment seemed admirably suited for their purpose; one of the gentlemen, famous for his freaks, seized the basin, and poured its contents over the head of the unfortunate tutor, who, blinded by the cream running down his face, was unable to notice what passed.
Ashji Dukyan, or cook-shops, are numerous in all the bazars of Eastern towns. Those at Stamboul have a great reputation, especially the Kebabjis, where Kebab and fruit only are sold. The food is served on copper dishes, and the customers sit on stools round little tables in neat gardens attached to the establishments.
The Ashji dukyan contain on one side a long range for cooking, upon which are placed bright copper pans, whence issues the steam from a number of savory dishes. The other side is occupied by a platform, upon which the customers sit cross-legged round low Sofras, to partake of the dishes of their choice plentifully placed before them, accompanied by bread and water ad libitum.
CHAPTER XIV.
DRESS.
The Old Turkish Dress—European Innovations—Present Dress of Upper Class of Turks—Peasant Dress—Dress of Ulema—Ladies’ In-door Costume in Old Times—Out-door Dress—Yashmaks and Feridjés—Green—The Spinach Field of Broussa—Women’s Dress of the Lower Orders—Children—The Dress of Turkish Ladies in the Present Day—Ludicrous Use of European Garments—Conservatism in Dress among the Peasants—Dress of the Rayahs—Macedonia—Thessaly—Epirus—Bulgaria—Inappropriateness of Dress to Different Occasions—Turkish Négligé—An Armenian Wedding Conversation—Eastern Notions of European Manners—Amusements in Turkey—Disappearance of the Old Exercises—Hunting—Battues—Wrestling Matches—Musicians and Story-Tellers—Kara Guez and Hadji Eyvat—Dancing Girls—Clowns—Farces—Performing Bears—Pipe and Coffee—Cafés—Amusements of the Rayahs—Greek and Bulgarian Dances—Pleasure Excursions—Saints’ Days.
On visiting the East the first thing that attracts the attention of the traveller is the variety of costume he meets at every step, especially among the Mohammedan population.
The dress of the first Ottomans was simple. Othman, the founder of the Empire, is represented as seated on a square throne, similar to that of the Shahs of Persia, ornamented with inlaid mother of pearl. He wore on his head a red cloth cap half buried in a Tatar turban, and called Burki Khorasani; wide trousers, and a bright-colored jacket descending to his knees. A splendid yataghan was fastened in his belt, and a flowing kaftan, surmounted by a red collar, enveloped the whole. The boots or shoes were of bright scarlet or yellow.