RAMAZAN
Ramazan dining tables are settings for sharing of delicious foods and beautiful conversation

Moslems call Ramazan "sultan" of all the other eleven months of the year. As a social phenomenon Ramazan can be regarded as a shared socio ­religious action. As such, Ramazan is full of colourful traits that single it out from the other months.
 
One of the most important characteristics of Ramazan is a complete re-arranging of the meal hours compared to normal days. During Ramazan it is possible to continue eating three times a day. The only difference is that these three meals must not be taken during daylight hours. In the present day, fasting Moslems usually eat only two meals. However, in the old days, the evening Ramazan meal (iftar) was the first meal (the breaking of the fast at sunset). It was like a breakfast, repleting the body with salty foods and sweets. In those times when breaking the fast, people took special care to pray first. Medical experts also

advise this to help the person avoId eating too much too quickly on an empty stomach. A dinner meal was eaten at a later time, which can be compared to a noon meal on normal days.
The third meal (sahur) is traditionally eaten before the cock crows, that is before first daylight. It is considered to be the heaviest meal to prepare the person for the day-long fasting. In general, it could be said that the practice of Ramazan meals is like turning one's usual life style upside down - eating instead of sleeping or fasting instead of eating. However, It is not possible to change completely to this different system as it was formulated in the old days because today's working hours do not allow any time for sleeping during the day.

Moreover, as mentioned above, most people combine the evening meal and the dinner, particularly if Ramazan falls in a period of the year when daylight hours are fewer. Then sometimes people skip the sahur meal before daybreak.

WHERE ARE THE OLD RAMAZANS?

Because the time and place factors of Ramazan are changing, people often ask, "What happened to the old Ramazans?". Because of the three-day "Şeker Bayramı" immediately following the end of Ramazan month, children love Ramazan.

Due to historic facts, the era in which Ramazan reached its height of popularity was in the wake' of the mid-19th century administrative reforms of the Ottoman Empire.

There was a big difference between celebrations in Istanbul where the palace is located and the other districts. The Sultan and his civil servants mobilized every type of resource to make Ramazan a memorable time. The Ottoman authority evaluated Ramazan as a set of religious festivities for all the people of Istanbul. Chefs and artists did their best to see that the people enjoyed life during the month. Rich families competed with each other in opening up their mansions to serve evening and late-night meals. The evening programme would start with some light salty food and sweet preserves. The evening prayer (namaz) was performed collectively before proceeding to the dinner. After dinner everybody would come together to pray one more time either at the mansion or at the mosque. Then coffee was served and people would engage in extended conversation.

RAMAZAN MEALS

Special care and artistic creativity went into preparing the evening dinner tables of Ramazan. It is said that there were such famous dinner tables that even Sultan Mahmud looked forward to participating.
 

  

Chief religious officer of the period, Dürrizade Elendi's interest in gastronomy was famous. All the statesmen wished for invitations to his pompously laid dinner tables. Although Sultan Mahmud was keen on dining at those tables, he, as a sultan could not get himself to request an invitation. One day he went out in the imperial carriage to wander around the city and, while passing in front of Dürrizade Efendi's mansion, he stopped and got off. The chief religious officer came out and invited him in to honour his home. He sat down to a table as rich as any that could be seen in the palace. Delicious food was served, the rice on a gold

plate but the fruit compote in a glass bowl. When it was time to go, the Sultan asked Durrizade Efendi why he had served the fruit in a glass bowl. Dürrizade Efendi answered, "I did not want to use ice that would make the compote too watery, so I carved the ice in the shape of a bowl."This anecdote illustrates the much greater gastronomic value that was placed on the Ramazan meals In those times as compared to today.
 
Some types of food are indispensable during Ramazan. Emir Mustafa reports about them in his 15th century Ramazan treatise: Ayasofya bread, Hocapaşa sesame roll, olives and honey from Crete, ginger preserves, iced tea, cheese candy, dates, Çorlu cheese, güllaç baklava, pitta bread, baked quince with crushed almonds, halva varieties and sorbets. Toward the end of the month, the drinking houses of the city, which remained closed during Ramazan, would fix stuffed mackarel and send it to the homes of their regular customers.
This was called the "forget -me-not stuffing" to remind the customers to return soon. This story sounds like it took place in a period when the month of Ramazan fell during the mackarel season. In today's Ramazans, no trace can be found even of this forget-me-not stuffing. Some hotels and restaurants prepare tables for their customers that are reminiscent of the Ramazans of old. Although it is not possible to expenence the old Ramazans, these nostalgic presentations play an important role in preserving the traditional culture.

 

 

Source: SKYLIFE 11/03
Vedat Başaran & Önder Durmaz