Peak of the Turkish official banquet culture: the glorious banquets held in honor of Empress of France Eugenie (1869)

Abstract

Turkish food culture has flourished and developed as result of the interaction and relationships both during the migration and after settling in Anatolia. as starting from Central Asia. Conquest of Istanbul has been a milestone in terms of Turkish food and feast culture as it has been the same for several aspects. The Ottoman State entered into a new mentality transformation within the frame of the sense of empire no sooner than the conquest. Appearances of this transformation have become clear in food culture and the perception of feast, which has been one of the most important indicators of food culture, as in any areas. As a matter of fact, Ottoman court kitchen was restructured in the same vein and the organizational structure was provided with a more advanced system with the code of laws enacted by Mehmet II the Conqueror. After the conquest, rich food culture in Istanbul entered into the circle of Turkish culture that have maintained its development since the Central Asia. So, there was added one more very important ring to the current cultural food richness of food which was a reflection of centuries old background and which took its form from own palatal delights and food pleasure of Turkish people. On the other hand, some specific changes in eating manners and traditions of the palace have been experienced in time. The same change was also valid for given formal banquets. Those small-scale changes until the 17th century became fast within the frame of increasing interaction depended upon relationships maintained with European countries and they hit the peak towards the end of the 19th century when the case of modernization became established. This multi-directional change ranging from arranging eating areas in accordance with protocol rules to ingredients used for meals and dining etiquettes has primarily been confronted in formal banquets. Formal banquets are one of the most remarkable occasions in which, the magnificence of the Ottoman food culture is presented. Particularly; formal banquets held in honour of foreign representatives by state administrators from the time of Sultan Abdul-Aziz added a new dimension to this cultural concept. In this respect, the banquets held in honour of Empress of France Eugenie stands out as one the most distinguished among these banquets, especially for its variety of dishes and unique fruits. This article assesses the privileged place of the banquets held for Empress of France Eugenie in the context of banquet culture in the Ottoman palace.