THE PASHA OF CUISINE

“The Pasha of Cuisine was said to be in possession of the perfect palate, the ability to distinguish and wield power over every flavor down to the smallest detail, the blessed one of the culinary arts, the sovereign of every dish in the world.” [p. 80]

The Pasha’s influence was so pervasive that it ushered in “a new golden age of taste,” so he was welcomed with great enthusiasm by those around him.

While a Pasha was born with a great gift which became obvious early in his life, he needed a great deal of training in various subjects to learn how to control and maximize his gift. We readers tag along on his travels and learn as he does.

WHO is this Pasha? We know him throughout the book only as “the cook,” with his real name revealed only at the end. (No, I’m not telling you what it is.) We know a great deal about him, though. By the age of 5, he had displayed to those who could recognize it an astonishingly discerning palate even for someone much older. When the reigning Sultan massacred all his close male relatives who could possibly challenge his throne, the cook was the sole survivor, saved, then hidden. He did return to the Palace in his 20s, recognized only by those who had saved him. There he cooked in various kitchens, one among thousands of support staff for the royalty and government personnel.

WHY did the cook return to the Palace? During his “exile” from the Palace, the cook worked in various kitchens and was sent to train in his profession with a range of experts.

His first years of training occurred in the kitchens of the House of Pleasure. Yes, it was just what it sounds like. There he learned that there are four main tastes: sweet, salty, spicy, and sour. FLAVORS, however, have six layers. “[E]very taste is related to a memory or an emotion. Flavors are part of a person’s past, and are the translation of emotion into another language….[W]hile taste may start in the mouth, it ends in the mind.” [p. 86] He also learned that food could potentially have unpredictable effects on its consumers. A cook must be careful with such power.

The House of Pleasure was also where he met the love of his life, Kamer, at age 11. She was brought in to sing and dance for patrons, but stubbornly refused to cooperate. She was locked in a dark room with no food allowed until she would cooperate, but the cook was so struck by her, he found a way to help her. He eventually won her heart. They found ways to solidify their love in those early years, and he eventually worked his way into the Palace kitchens where she had been consigned to the harem. They managed to re-connect despite obstacles.

To illustrate the concept of tastes connecting to emotions, the cook had been eating an apple when he first saw Kamer. He forever thought of her afterward as being “apple scented.” Apples later played a significant part in their relationship.

Another part of his training took place with the el-Haki twin brothers. From the astronomer brother, the cook learned about the stars, the meaning of the celestial houses they passed through, and how to take that information into account when creating his cuisine.

Even more fascinating were the teachings of the doctor brother. He described the heart as a “city [that] has three allies and three enemies. Its allies are relief, friendship, and hope, while its enemies are spite, fear, and sorrow.” [p. 156]

He taught the cook that the body is made up of the four elements—air, water, fire, and earth—and that good health demands harmony and balance between them. He named the location of each element in the body, and noted that any imbalance between them “leads to deterioration of health.”

Disease enters the body not only through “what we eat, but what we see, what we hear, what we smell, what we touch, and even what we experience can cause us to become unwell.” Diet is the most natural treatment for disease, followed by medicine and surgery if needed. [p. 156]

He described the nature of each element: warm, cold, moist, dry. Each food has its own properties which should be considered in preparation.

Another part of the cook’s training took place with the Lady of Essences. That training built upon what he learned from the el-Haki doctor. He learned about innumerable spices and scents, their properties and uses. She took him on a buying voyage that opened his eyes to new scents and to ways to conduct the business of procurement.

She also taught the cook about the correct way to regard destiny. It

“encompassed not only what a person does but also what they don’t do, what they choose and what they disregard, what they become and what they cannot become. It wasn’t a linear line stretching through time, beginning in the past and extending toward the future. Destiny was a cycle, filled with beginnings as well as endings….The only thing that mattered was being able to interpret destiny…to look at the whole cycle,” that “revealed the equations hidden within divine mathematics and made clear the opportunities available and those that had been missed.” [pp. 229-230]