Chap.XVII. tf/Monfîeur Tavernie r, 24.1 



Mohré y Abon, Az.er, Dei, Babmen, Efpcndar motive',. The firft month, Ferverdm, 

 begins with the Vernal Equinox, every month not containing above 3 o days, ad- 

 ding the five which remain to the end of the year, which they cal! Kramfi Moujh- 



The day of the Vâtnal Equinox is the firft day of the year,which they call Neo- 

 z.onz.e, and is one of their Principal Feftivals. For that day all the Grandees ap- 

 pear at Court, and prefent the King according to their quality. If they can 

 meet with nothing that is rare, they prefent him in Ducatts of Gold,and there are 

 fome that prefent him to the number of ten Thoufand. They alfo give God thanks 

 for preferving them to fee the new year, and for preferving the fruits of the Earth 

 from bad feafons/or the Corn is by that time well come up.Upon this firft day of 

 the year, if a Perfîan has not money to buy him a new habit,he will go and mort- 

 gage his own body to have one. So proud and luxurious are the Perfians from the 

 bigheft to the loweft. 



CHAP. XV II. 



Of the Feafts and ordinary Tt/ctoftheFerfmis. 



THe Perfians are nothing eager after delicacies or dainties; both the nobJer 

 and the meaner fort being very iempera te in dyet. In regard that wood is 

 fo fcarceand dear about Ifpahan, they never eat boyl'd meat above once a day : 

 and as for their Dinner which they call Shate, it confifts of bread, cheeie-curds, 

 milk, burnt wine, melons and other fruits in leafon, to which the rich add wet 

 and dry fweet-meats : At night their ufual food is FiUve and roft meat. They buy 

 their Provifion from hand to mouth, efpecially the Aiabtimetans, which is a double 

 charge. But for the Armenians, they live thriftily, and buy at once a good quan- 

 tity of provifions to laft for fo long time. 



Muttons, Kidds, Pullets and Pidgeons, are the ufual dyet of the Perfians ; for 

 as for Beef they very rarely eat it. The King and the great Lords will eat a piece 

 of a Hare fometimes when they have been a hunting : but when they have kill'd 

 a wild Boar, they fend it always to fome Chriftian, in expectation to beprefented 

 for the honour done him. They have no diverfity of Victuals or made Difhes in 

 ferfia, their dyet being more proper to fatisfie hunger, then ro pleafe a nice palate. 

 Mutton and Lamb would be very good in Perfia, if they knew how to roaft it our 

 way. But the Perfians roaft only at an oven, which is a hole made in the ground 

 two foot and a half broad, and five or fix foot deep. They burn nothing but 

 bufhes, and a kind of Turf mix'd with the dung of Cattel, and dry'd in the Sun. 

 There are feveral roafting Cooks at Ifpaban, that roaft a whole Sheep at a timCj 

 where he that comes to buy may have as much cut out as he pleafes. Other 

 Cooks fhops are only for boyl'd meat or rice : their fruits which they pickle up in, 

 Vinegar being the only fawce which they have. 



As for their Bread it is very white, for they have wheat enough to furnifh the 

 whole Kingdom. They bake every day., making up their Dow in the form of a 

 thin Cake, ftrow'd over with Sefamnm. They bake thefe Cakes in their Ovens in 

 the ground, covering the batch over with little round flint ftones^ that are quick- 

 ly hot and retain the heat. At Ifpaban they make a great fire in an earthen pot, 

 and when it is hot they fpread the Dow againft the fides of the pot. The Ar- 

 menians make a fort of bread as thin as Paper, which they bake upcu a thin Iron 

 plate which is as thin as paper. Their Plate and Difhes are of red Coppe~ tinn'd 

 within fide. For they are forbid to make ufè of Silver by the Law of Aiaho;net. 

 Nor does the King ufe any other then GoJd Plate, of which he has great ftore. nih^^y 

 They have alfo a fort ofPjrcellanejmde_at Kerman. To eat their broths they 

 make ufe of wood'n fpoonsT: for as for their rice, which is thick, they take it up 

 in their fingers,and wipe their hands upon their handkerchiefs. 

 The firft thing fet upon the Table is the Pipe, the Tobacco, and the difh of 



Coffee $ 



