ABSTRACT
The cold evening air drove us back into our tent. We also wanted to look after our dinner, but were told that we were not even allowed to use one lump of sugar of our own. A present of four large sugar-loaves and a tin of tea had already been brought to us. Now we were to say when we wished to dine, and dinner would be served. The farrãsh bãshl^ or head of the carpetspreaders, covered the table with a large Cashmere shawl, and very soon half a dozen men, led by the Vazir, set twenty-two dishes besides a number of flat loaves before us. Of these a few were baked of wheat, a rarity and a luxury, in our honour. The rest were made of the flour of acorns and looked and tasted like very good brown bread. The dishes contained the usual Persian food, rice dishes of different kinds with stews of lamb or chicken, white cheese with fragrant herbs and large bowls of dügh-butter-milk-and sherbets of lemon with quince or of pomegranate juice. The quality was equal to the quantity. After we had finished, the meal was served to our retinue, some of whom probably had never tasted anything so good in their lives. I remonstrated with the Vazir for this excess of hospitality. But his only answer was: 'Next time I will bring twice as much.' This threat was almost
literally carried out. Besides the dishes enumerated we were treated every day to venison, especially ibex, wild goat and argali or moufflon, the wild mountain sheep. The meat of the latter, when roasted on a spit in the Oriental fashion, is, I think, the best I have ever tasted.
