FOOD CULTURE AND HEALTH IN PRE-MODERN ISLAMIC SOCIETIES EI REFERENCE GUIDES VOLUME 3 FOOD CULTURE AND HEALTH IN PRE-MODERN ISLAMIC SOCIETIES Edited by David Waines LEIDEN • BOSTON 2011 This book is printed on acid-free paper. ISSN 1879-3657 ISBN 978 90 04 19441 0 © Copyright 2011 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP. 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. table of contents Preface and Acknowledgements ................................................................................................. ix Introduction ................................................................................................................................ xi I. Food Sources: earth, water, and air ...................................................................................... 1 1. Agriculture and Irrigation ................................................................................................. 1 Agriculture ......................................................................................................................... 1 Date palm .......................................................................................................................... 16 Sugar cane ......................................................................................................................... 19 Olive tree ........................................................................................................................... 22 Wheat ................................................................................................................................. 24 Millet .................................................................................................................................. 25 Barley ................................................................................................................................. 26 Rice .................................................................................................................................... 26 The Vine ........................................................................................................................... 28 Irrigation ............................................................................................................................ 30 2. Fish, sheep and goats ........................................................................................................ 72 Fish ..................................................................................................................................... 72 Small Livestock .................................................................................................................. 78 3. Forbidden flesh: the animal kingdom and the religious law ........................................... 86 Animals and Muslim law .................................................................................................. 86 Illicit meat (Carrion) .......................................................................................................... 91 4. Hunting .............................................................................................................................. 93 Hunting, Fishing ................................................................................................................ 93 Hawking ............................................................................................................................. 94 5. Miscellanea from the world of fauna ................................................................................ 97 Hare ................................................................................................................................... 97 Crocodile ........................................................................................................................... 100 Fox ..................................................................................................................................... 101 Ostrich ............................................................................................................................... 101 Ants .................................................................................................................................... 104 Locusts ............................................................................................................................... 105 Lizard ................................................................................................................................. 107 Pigeon ................................................................................................................................ 108 vi table of contents II. Food Resources and their transformation ........................................................................... 110 1. Nourishment and Beverages ........................................................................................... 110 Nourishment .................................................................................................................... 110 Drinks .............................................................................................................................. 132 Wine ................................................................................................................................ 135 Intoxicating drink ............................................................................................................ 141 Coffee ............................................................................................................................... 142 2. The Kitchen, cooking and some preparations ............................................................... 147 Kitchen ............................................................................................................................ 147 Cooking ........................................................................................................................... 164 Yo∞urt ............................................................................................................................ 168 Butter ............................................................................................................................... 168 ays ................................................................................................................................. 168 Sawī ............................................................................................................................... 169 Sikbā¡ ............................................................................................................................. 169 Maīra ............................................................................................................................. 170 Couscous .......................................................................................................................... 170 Bread ............................................................................................................................... 172 3. Spices, seasonings, and other ingredients ....................................................................... 175 Spices ............................................................................................................................... 175 Salt ................................................................................................................................... 177 Cinnamon ........................................................................................................................ 178 Sandalwood ..................................................................................................................... 179 Dill ................................................................................................................................... 179 Fennel .............................................................................................................................. 180 Mint ................................................................................................................................. 180 Myrtle .............................................................................................................................. 181 Camomile ........................................................................................................................ 182 Rose water ....................................................................................................................... 183 Musk ................................................................................................................................ 183 Bee ................................................................................................................................... 184 Sugar ...............................................................................................................................