Thursday, February 19, 2009

Nimatnama Manuscript of the Sultans of Mandu or James McNairs Grill Cookbook

Ni'matnama Manuscript of the Sultans of Mandu: The Sultan's Book of Delights

Author: Norah M M Titley

The Ni'matnama is a late fifteenth-century book of recipes written for the Sultan of Mandu, in what is now Madhya Pradesh, India. It contains recipes for cooking a variety of delicacies and epicurean delights, as well as providing remedies and aphrodisiacs for Nasir ad-Din Shah of Mandu and his court. The text provides a unique account of courtly life in a fifteenth century Indian Sultanate and documents a fascinating stage in the history of Indian cookery.

There is only one copy of The Sultan's Book of Delights in existence, held in the Oriental and India Office Collections of the British Library (BL-Persian 149). The book manuscript is illustrated with fifty elegant miniature paintings, most of which show showing the Sultan observing the women of his court as they prepare and serve him various dishes. These illustrations are important historical art documents in their own right. Painted in a distinctive Shirazi (Southern Iranian) style, they are also stylistically influenced by indigenous styles ofbook painting found in Central and Western India, and are the earliest known example of miniature painting in an Islamic Deccani style.

For the first time, a facsimile of the original text is reproduced for a scholarly audience. Norah Titley, formerly assistant keeper, Oriental Collections at the British Library, has masterfully translated this unique book.



Table of Contents:
1. Preface
2. Introduction
3. List and description of the manuscript's illustrations
4. Facsimile of the manuscript including color inserts for illustrations
5. Translation of the manuscript
6. Bibliography
7. Glossary
8. Index

Books about: Éthique D'affaires :Partie prenante et Approche de Direction d'Éditions

James McNair's Grill Cookbook

Author: James McNair

As every observant cook knows, what was once backyard barbecuing has now achieved gourmet status in the form of grilling. James McNair, acknowledged master of the single subject cookbook, explores this exciting upscale approach to the world's oldest cooking method in the only book on the market to feature smoking as well as grilling techniques. Here are myriad inspiring ways to grill everything from freshwater fish and succulent seafood to poultry, game, breads, and even fruit, as well as sensible suggestions for choosing equipment, starting perfect fires, using flavor imparting woods and fuels, and preparing fresh ingredients for grill cooking, both indoors and out. Among the updated recipes are Speckled Trout with Roasted Pecans, Smoked Venison with Orange Juniper Sauce, Summer Vegetables Aioli, Peach-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin, Spicy Catfish Remoulade, and Warm Exotic Fruits with Coconut Sauce. Once again, Patricia Brabant has beautifully photographed McNair's exquisitely styled dishes, this time on contemporary tableware exclusively from Tiffany and Company.



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