'A New Account of East-India and Persia, in Eight Letters. Being Nine Years Travels, Begun 1672. And Finished 1681. Containing Observations made of the Moral, Natural, and Artificial Estate of Those Countries: Namely, of their Government, Religion, Laws, Customs. Of the Soil, Climates, Seasons, Health, Diseases. Of the Animals, Vegetables, Minerals, Jewels. Of their Housing, Cloathing, Manufactures, Trades, Commodities. And of the Coins, Weights, and Measures, Used in the Principal Places of Trade in Those Parts.' [‎405] (452/506)

The Prejent State of PERSIA. 405
They have a Difli they call Cookoo Challow, which is dry Rice and Ch. XIV.
a Fritter of Eggs, Herbs, and Fifhes, Ji-fYTV
They feldom Eat frelh Butter, and as feldom Beefs Flefh 5 the //J. 0 * '
Poor near the Sea live only on Fifh and Dates; the Rich live plenti
fully every where.
No Country is more taken with Sweetmeats, not even the Luji- NogoodCoii'
tanians; wherefore Sugar is a good Commodity from India, for Perjia feaions -
produces none of its own; they are not fuch Confedioners, not-
withdanding, as might be expected from fo conftant a defire and
pradice j the chief reafon I can impute it to is Cuftom , which in
^very thing they are very tenacious of.
They mightily covet cool things to the Palat, wherefore they
mix Snow, or diflblve Ice in their Water, Wine, or Sherbets.
Out of Taylets of Willows they make s compound Cool-Water,
very fweet fmeiling and refrefliing.
Sherbets are made of almoft all Tart pleafing Fruits as the Juice
of Pomegranets, Lemmons, Citrons, Oranges, Prunella s, which
are to be bought in the Markets. Thus by Diet, as well as Air,
they procure not only a firmnefs of Conftitution, but Propernefs
and Tallnefs of Body, for none excel them either for Beauty or
Stature.
But before we part with this Subjed:, fince they are not fo ftarch'd
and precifely bent as the more rigorous Mahometans, we may be ac
quainted with their conftant courfe of Eating, and lie down with
them at Meals, and receive a good Welcome.
Their Breakfaft is begun with Melons, Cucumbers, Gourds,
Grapes, or other Fruits, as Peaches, Apricots, Cherries, or the
like, with foft Cheefe or Butter Milk ; which is about Ten in the
Morning, from which time they abilain from all manner of Food
(I mean when they obferve their fet Meals till near Sun-fet 3 w hen
they feed heartily on Flelh, or any other hot Meats, and enlarge
fometimes till Midnight.
They obferve the fame ufage for going to Stool as the other
EafternS) walhing away the Filth with the Left hand^ for no other
caufe than that they feed themfelves with tlje Right.
They fit down to make Water, but whether that way empties
the Bladder better I leave &) conje^tu/e ; thopgfi their continual lit-
tiog within doors with their Legs upto their Bellies helps digemon,
is a thing beyond difpute.
That the Pfrfians never Spit, I cannot allow to be true, lince Tbep^ms
they Smoak Tobacco in their moft falemn AfJemblies, fn^ J or * a J other Pec
purpofe we have already lliewed they are provided with ayitting- p| e .
Pots, or ; but .fince Xemfhon reJatetfa it m the Ftrjt/adia
Cy/'i, as a reproach for any to Spit in Company, and brings it a s an
argument of Gluttony, ortoinefs, Nmquam fpuiant in conventu ter-
fee, quia maximum i^mminios argumentum^ quafiinaicaret eos aut p »
quam par effet fumere^aut nulhs cor fori# exe/citatiouwus jUi , mu a ,
that I find them to indulge both ; nor are they afliame to
or Eat luftily, but on the contrary Gorroandize totxeeft;
therefore nothing fbut the Xhkinefs of the Air, ^Kprdfling t ir up
fiuous Humours can befpeak this Virtue ; nor indeed do n
differ much in that point irom other Nations^
11 1
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