'Travels from India to England : comprehending a visit to the Burman Empire, and a journey through Persia, Asia Minor, European Turkey, &c., in the years 1825-26, by James Edward Alexander' [‎163] (238/412)

PERSIA. 163
The vine, too, displayed its black and green clusters, but they were
not thoroughly ripe. The gowan plant, or that from which the
zunzebeen, or manna, is collected, is found in abundance in this
neighbourhood. I did not see the plant myself, but it was described
to me as two feet in height, with a fan-shaped head, the leaves
spinous. The insect which deposits the manna on the leaves and
stalks, is said to resemble the musquito. It remains forty-five days
feeding on the plant, in the months of August and September: it
then vomits on the plant, and leaves a white deposit, which the
Persians collect and make a sweetmeat of, called zunzebeen, by
boiling it with sugar.
From Ispahan to the northward and westward, Turkish is generally
spoken in the villages: the natives hardly understood a single word of
Persian in some of the villages which we passed.
The behaviour of our Mehmandar was now quite unpardonable.
Although the country in every direction was covered with cultiva
tion, and we were surrounded with plenty, we could procure no
barley for our horses, our servants got no rations, and had had none
for several days. He evidently took advantage of the forbearance
of the Envoy, who was very averse to quarrelling with him, through
fear of defeating the object of the mission by raising up enemies at
court. He chose, rather than have any altercation with him, to
purchase what he wanted. Not only were we deprived of sursat for
several days, but our servants were prevented, through the intrigues
of the Mehmandar with the Khutkhodas, who of course bribed him
handsomely, from purchasing necessaries in the villages. The Envoy
at last sent to the Mehmandar (for he was too mighty a man to wait
on the Envoy for orders), to endeavour to get some explanation of all
y g these