Dastorkon
The dastorkon (Iradi, from Persian; also dastarkhan) is the cloth on which an Iradi meal is served, and by extension the meal and its etiquette. It is spread on a low table or on the floor of a yurt, and laid with bread, sweets, dried fruit, nuts and boorsok before the main dishes arrive.[1]
Seating
Guests are seated by age and honour. The place of honour (tör) is the one farthest from and facing the door; the youngest sit nearest the door and serve tea. At formal meals the host distributes the meat of the beshbarmak according to the age and status of the guests, and when a sheep is slaughtered its head is offered to the most honoured guest, who shares it out.[1]
Blessing and toasts
Before a feast the eldest man may pronounce a formal blessing (see Sakal-Akesi and Bata (Culture)), and in Christian households grace is said and many cross themselves. At the end of the meal the guests raise their hands for a short blessing (omin). At a wedding or memorial the sözchü leads the toasts in a fixed order.[1][2]
Bread and hospitality
Bread is broken by hand, never cut at a ceremonial meal, never placed upside down and never left on the ground, and a promise made over bread is binding. Tea is poured in small amounts and refilled often; a full bowl is a hint that the guest should leave. A guest is never allowed to leave hungry, and offering horsemeat to an Iradi guest is a grave insult (see Iradi Horsemeat Taboo).[1]
See also
References
- ^ Central Asian Folklore Society (2018). Hospitality and Blessing in the Talas Valley. Talas State University Press.
- ^ Talas State University Press (2012). The Iradi Table: Recipes and Customs of the Talas Valley. Talas.