Dining the Persian way

“What disturbs me most is not your lack of respect for my judgment, it’s your contempt for a world far older than ours!” Alexander pronounced these words in Oliver Stone’s movie, casually placed in the king’s upcoming wedding with Roxane. It is just a detail, but one that resonates much further than we may see at first glance. 

For the Greeks and the Macedonians, the Persians were Barbarians. They certainly could not imagine their refined culture, splendid cities and monuments, and accoutrements. As a great admirer of Cyrus, the very founder of the Achaemenid dynasty, Alexander clearly understood that Persia was much older than Greece and consequently had built up a richer civilization. 

Oliver Stone rightfully illustrated the grandeur and richness of the Persian Empire in Babylon when he orchestrated Alexander’s triumphal entrance march! This was the first major city the Macedonians saw with their own eyes, leaving them in total awe. The pomp and circumstance of Persepolis and Susa added to their astonishment and wonder. 

Although Alexander and his companions were familiar with the palaces of Aegae and Pella, these edifices could in no way compete with anything in Persia. Athens was a gem of its own right, with the shining Parthenon finished a good hundred years before. In contrast, Persian history, refinement, protocol, and wealth testified to their cultural superiority. It must have been a real shock to most of the army. Even Alexander and his close companions were not prepared to deal with this immeasurable and boundless wealth. 

Our thoughts automatically drift to the gold and the luxurious furnishing and ornamentation of the palaces. Still, we hardly would think of food, the oriental way to serve it and savor it. In the Greek Symposia, an all-male gathering, food was secondary to the meeting proper. The banquet started with a meal, and the wine continued to be served till the end of the occasion. More importantly, the host would regulate the wine intake since it was cut with the amount of water he determined for the entire duration. 

On the other hand, the Persians drank their wine straight, and sumptuous occasions called for much drinking. The long duration and the overall glamour contributed to creating extraordinarily refined and elegant events. The wide choice of savory, sweet foods like dates, for example, was a luxury unknown to many Greeks. 

Dining was an occasion to display Persian magnificence and sumptuousness, not only in their setting but also in the dishes themselves. The diners’ behavior, however, was far from elegant. Since the flow of the wine was not overseen by a host or similar master of ceremony, the Persians often became violent and not seldom harassed the king’s women who attended the meal. In this light, it is not surprising that the Greeks saw them as Barbarians! 

In both cultures, fish and meat were widely present on the menu. The main difference was that the Greeks generally roasted their meat and fish, whereas the Persians preferred simmered, slowly cooked meals. They enriched their marinades with exotic fruits and spices imported from as far as India, including saffron. Bread, rice, and eggplant, delicate sauces further enhanced the dishes. After the main dish, there was plenty of room for sweets and fruits as part of the following dishes offered. A marriage of foods occurred during the lifetime of Alexander and lasted for centuries entering today’s flavors and gastronomic influences in the world, particularly in the Mediterranean. 

It is said that in its heyday, the Persian Empire was the leader in refined gastronomy. Arrian casually mentioned the regiments of cooks attached to the Persian king’s services when Parmenion took Damascus. The Persian baggage train with noblemen's wives was camping there pending the outcome of the Battle of Issus (not expecting their defeat). 

Even today, it is hard to imagine the refined cooking and presentation of the meals marking special occasions such as the mass wedding in Susa. Cooks must have been busy day and night preparing an array of meats, fish, vegetables, and fruits for thousands of guests (9.000 according to our sources!). The logistics to cart the meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables to the palace grounds are achievements on their own. 

At that time, Alexander’s army was no longer all Macedonian but integrated with peoples from Persia, Central Asia, and India. The food habits in the camp had changed accordingly. In a way, Alexander conquered land and people with their specific cultures, including a wide variety of their diets. In his wake and thanks to the later Roman Empire, the Spiced Road was born with tentacles far beyond the lands touched by Alexander. 

Modern visitors to Greece, Turkey, and the Middle East experience these exotic tastes and other flavors when served a typical local meal. We accept them as a matter of course, but the issue was entirely different for those living 2,500 years ago. Most people never left their hometown unless to war with the neighboring settlement. Persia, which was much larger than today’s Iran, was at the other end of the world as far as they were concerned. To them, the world appeared from an entirely different perspective. 

The Greek-Italian chef Giorgio Pintzas Monzani wrote several pertinent articles on this subject in the Greek Reporter, which inspired me to write the present post.

[Top and second picture from Asia Food]