'Some years travels into divers parts of Africa, and Asia the great. Describing more particularly the empires of Persia and Industan: interwoven with such remarkable occurrences as hapned in those parts during these later times. As also, many other rich and famous kingdoms in the oriental India, with the isles adjacent. Severally relating their religion, language, customs and habit: as also proper observations concerning them.' [‎310] (333/448)

10
Food, Ifyce,
many wooden fpoons, their handles being above half a yard long, and thelpoon itfelf
fo large as my mouth could feldom mafter. They have a meat refembling the old Maza
which was meal mixed with Water and oyl, with gobbets of flefli. They have withal
little parties of hafht meats, not unlike the Twkl Samboufes. They feldom go beyond
Pelo but in that difh exprefs they think a witty invention, fetting before you fometimes
forty diihes called by forty names, as Pelo, Chelo, Kilhmy-pelo, Cherry-pelo, &c. albeit
indeed it differ but in the cookery; all are of rice, mutton and hens boiled together-
lome having butter, fomenone\ fome having fruit, fome none', fome having turmerack
and faffron,other-fome none*, fome onions and garlick,fome none-, fome having almonds
and raifins, fome none: and fo ad infinmrn: making us alfo believe they make gallant
chear and great variety, though the ingredients be one, differing onely in colour ^ fome
coming to the Table as black as coal, fome as white as curd others (that you may know
their Cooks are witty ) be yellpw, green, blew, red, or in fuch a colour as they fancv.
Wot you (forfooth ) why Rice is fo generally eaten, and fo valuable ? Not that it exceeds
Wheat or other grain ip goodnefs, finenefs, roundnefs or the like; (though I cannot
deny but it is a folid grain, and in boiling fwells fo much, that a pint unboil'd will in-
creafe to near four pints in boiling;) albeit fome and thofe not the leaft learned think that
Manna which the Israelites had given them for Bread in the Wildernefs of Arabia (being
a fmall round thing) was this grain; fo fuppofed both from its fhape and excellency
but from a Tradition delivered by their grand Annalift Jacoh-ben~Siet-Ally, it is affirmed
Tnat on a time Mahomet being in prayer was convey'd into Paradife, where earneftlv
peholdmg its varieties, at length he caft his eyes upon a glorious Throne, and fearing he
mould be pumlht for his prefiimption, bluiht for fhame and fweat for fear • but loth to
r ^ C ?T- er ' w ^P es ^ rom .off his brow the fweat with his firft finger and threw it
out ot Paradife: It was not loft it feems by the ftory •, for forthwith dividing it felf into
lix drops, the hrft was metamorphofed into a fragrant Rofe, ( and thence it is Rofe-
water is fo much ufed^ and in honour of the Rofe an annual Feaft yet folemnized:) the
tcon was converted into a grain of Rice, ( a holy grain;) the other four became four
Melec-zed ^Vajfyn, who affifted Mahomet to publiih if not
mon inprJLnf ^ fo^lmuch as Rice is the onely eftimable grain and com-
to inlarge a little uponX DefcrS~ tS ln ^ Dominions, give me leave
f'"' . 1S for •J 6 pa" fown about the time of the Ver-
nal Equinox, ufually in watcnlh grounds •, in four months or
lefs being ripe for gathering. Sometimes they fet it grain b v
t r mches u Cep ia the Earth - which they clofe;
and in Harvelt time gather ear by ear. The flower it bears is
purple, the leaves be long and flender like fedge or doss-
hath 'f-K (v ar ^ P uts / orch is no t like that of Corn, but
hath a thin ftraw 2 yards long, full of joynts; the top onelv
veral srrairK of Jp are ^ any ^ knobs which contai n
yeral grams of free, and every knob hath a long beard like
to our Barley: So foonas thefirlt-lbwn Rice appears thev
FpffcmT' ^ after r that; the lik e> the feed being under
ter fome few dayes ■, fo as all the Year long r in fome narrO
they have Rtcem the leaf, flower and ears, which puts the Huf-
bandman to a delightful though painful labour P And die V
ouflv m / i, arr j' a . nd hard which ufuall y are vari
oufly coloured; hard, thattheir ftomachs might not be delu
ded m too quick a digeftion. Their Mutton is fwei but fat
fixty poinds" h a e SffaZne 0nI h T 6 "* I lndS5 in weigh
wheels) weighed 8o pounds anH fa, f, w hofe tail (fupported by a little Cart with
may well ballancethe reft of the carcafs r We r ghiDS 100 P 0 ' lnds ' ^
and the Law allows the eating • bur nnr f Pheafant the Countrey yields,
which are prohibited. Camek A p O . ^ r » e . e ^ 1 VeaI ' Swines flefli, Hares and BufFols,
in mammocks and carbonado'd • thrl f 10 Buzzars ro afted upon fcuets, or cut
ftry-men they are ■, for i have feen rhl T a re fold for two pence. Bad Pa-
black as a coal-, they fay Hdare nor? !^ a ? ^ oleinto an oven ' and take it out as
but I thought otherwife. ' d l ) 11 tall:es the better: it may be fo to them,
fruit, lenUkHnd^ 0 ^ themfelves with dry Rice, herbs,roots,
meat relembiing Thlummery: we ii f atisfied ^ ^ flender
diet;