Babur used this team to describe the geograph and custom food habits , drees and jewllery of a period.
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babar do many things to our country it makes g good
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Research Scholar, Dept. of History, University of Delhi, Delhi
ABSTRACT:
This paper explores the various norms of dining etiquettes and food aesthetics practiced by Early Mughal period in the time of the first three Mughal kings, Babur (1504-1530), Humayun (1530 -1556) and Akbar (1556 -1605). Studying the processes of constant change in their food habits, adab, and rituals over the period of time, this paper explains the extent of influence of the Turko-Mongol predecessors on early Mughal food habits and rituals, the influence of the dining etiquettes and customs in the construction of political authority, social identities and norms of civility and the role of food aesthetics in the construction of esteem and class- distinction.
KEYWORDS: Dining etiquettes, food aesthetics, food sharing, hierarchy, power, Mughal, Turko-Mongol
INTRODUCTION:
Culinary practices are important in shaping the culture of any ruling class. Norbert Elias traced the shifts in the culinary practices and table manners in Western Europe, in the period of their transition from a feudal system to the court society and then to the modern nation-state. Within the feudal system, Elias argued that the culinary practices of the feudal lords were marked by excess and lack of social control. In his own words: ‘There is little in their situation to compel them to impose restraint upon themselves.’1 However, with the development of the court society, the situation changed and the behaviour of the court nobility was accordingly modified. The court society was a cultural trendsetter for people who aspired to move up the social ladder 2 According to Stephen Mennell, the court, with its elites, as a culturally powerful establishment that shaped good taste and appropriate manners, was seen as a blueprint of power relations in the society.3 It was to seek approval from the aristocrats at the top of the hierarchy and to differentiate themselves from the other inferior classes who were also trying to find their way into the court society. The enabled members of the court displayed heightened forms of self-restraint and mannered behaviour.4
With regard to food etiquette, Elias argued that the court regimes often justified the emphasis on moderation and restraint in terms of their alleged health benefits, but this was actually not the real explanation. Rather, the paraphernalia surrounding food consumption [presentation, aesthetics, table manners, menu, etc.] were generated by the quest for social distinction, and exclusiveness. The performance of ‘refined’ behaviour was motivated by the obligation to operate in an increasingly interdependent social structure, and by the need to confirm one’s social position over those of competing social classes.
Similarly, in Mughal dynasty, it is important to bear in mind that the rules and customs regulating arrangement of commensals, distribution and sharing, as well as ‘table manners’ symbolised hierarchy, acted as a social differentiator and served to reinforce the prestige and distinctiveness of the ruling dynasty. In the realization of these objectives, of course, the inherited Timurid and Chingizid traditions were selectively appropriated by the Mughals, as well.
The shaping of Culinary Etiquette in early Mughal India: The Turko- Mongol Heritage
From the Memoirs of Babur, we get the feeling that during his reign in Hindustan, there were no established gastronomical connections. During his period not much emphasis was given on eating etiquette and dining practices. Initially, during his itinerant phase, he shared a strong bond with his nobles and social inferiors, and we get to see that less emphasis was given on distinction among people according to their ranks and positions. Although the differences in status and position between the ruler and his begs were well-defined, Babur did not let these differences, influence dining etiquette. They were all invited to share Babur's wine parties where music and dance, and poetry recitals were common. The climate is described in the extant sources as one of camaraderie, conviviality and faith. Many references shared by him in Baburnama show that on his excursions, Babur and his men cooked food, shared food and made merry together.5