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Kitāb al-ṭabīkh ﻛﺘﺎﺏ اﻟﻄﺒﻴﺦIbn al-Karīm, Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﺑﻦ اﻟﺤﺴﻦ
،اﺑﻦ اﻟﻜﺮﻳﻢ
A manual on cookery in ten chapters ()ﺃﺑﻮاﺏ, composed by Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan ibn al-Karīm, known as al-Kātib
al-Baghdādī ( ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﺑﻦ اﻟﺤﺴﻦ ﺑﻦ اﻟﻜﺮﻳﻢ اﻟﻜﺎﺗﺐ اﻟﺒﻐﺪاﺩﻱ, d. 1239/40) in 623/1226.
The present copy lacks a colophon, however an inscription in gold ink outlined in black records that the
volume was commissioned for the Ottoman Sulṭān Muḥammad Khān ibn Murād Khān ([ ﺑﺮﺳﻢ ﻣﻄﺎﻟﻌﺔ اﻟﺴﻠﻄﺎﻥ...] ﻣﺤﻤﺪ
ﺧﺎﻥ ﺑﻦ ﻣﺮاﺩ ﺧﺎﻥ, f. 2r), identifiable as Muḥammad II Fātiḥ (The Conqueror, r. 1444-46; 1451-81), son of Murād
II (r. 1421-44).
The Kitāb al-ṭabīkh was popular at the Ottoman court in the mid- to late-15th century, as
testified by the translation (with additions) into Turkish made by Muḥammad ibn Maḥmūd al-Shirwānī [Şirvani]
under Murād II, [ Kitabü't-Tabih: Abbasi Bağdat'ından yemekler, tatlılar, çeşniler (İstanbul:
Kitap Yayınevi, 2009)].
The page containing the sultanic dedication (f. 2r) also bears a marginal inscription referring to the text;
one of two occurrences of the ṭughrā seal of Bayezid II (r. 1481-1512), successor of Muḥammad
II (it is found again on f. 98v), and an inscription mentioning an Inspector [of Endowments of Mecca and
Medina] ( )اﻟﻤﻔﺘﺶand oval seal at the bottom of the page.
These features are now obscured by another (re-used) leaf bearing a waqf inscription, pasted
Cover page
on top. Its text records the volume's endowment by Sulṭān ʿUthmān Khān ibn al-Sulṭān Muṣṭafá Khān (ﻋﺜﻤﺎﻥ ﺧﺎﻥ
)اﺑﻦ اﻟﺴﻠﻄﺎﻥ ﻣﺼﻄﻔﻰ ﺧﺎﻥ, identifiable with ʿUthmān [Osman] III (r. 1754-57), son of Muṣṭafá II (r. 1695-1703),
and also accompanied with ʿUthmān III's seal containing his ṭughrā and an extract from Qurʾān
7:43. Numerals decorated with gold dust, apparently inventory numbers, are found in the margin.
The text contains 160 recipes organised into ten chapters, each concerned with different gastronomic and
culinary categories such as sour ()اﻟﺤﻮاﻣﺾ, plain ()ﺳﻮاﺫﺝ, fried and dry dishes ()اﻟﻘﻼﻳﺎ ﻭاﻟﻨﻮاﺷﻒ, oven-
cooked dishes ()اﻟﻤﻄﺠﻨﺎﺕ, fish ()اﻟﺴﻤﻮﻙ, pickles ()اﻟﻤﺨﻠﻼﺕ, puddings ( اﻷﺧﺒﺼﺔ ا, sweets ()اﻟﺤﻼﻭاﺕ, and dough-
based sweet dishes ()ﻗﻄﺎﺋﻒ.
ﺑﻤﺎء ﺑﻘﻲ ﻣﻦ ﻣﺎء ﻭﺭﺩ ﻭﻣﺴﻚ ﻭﺗﺤﻠﻲ ﻓﻴﻪ ﻗﻠﻴﻼ ﻓﻬﻮ ﻏﺎﻳﺔ
Cover page
Kitāb al-ṭabīkh ﻛﺘﺎﺏ اﻟﻄﺒﻴﺦIbn al-Karīm, Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan ﻣﺤﻤﺪ،اﺑﻦ اﻟﻜﺮﻳﻢ
[ ﺑﻦ اﻟﺤﺴﻦfront] (1/212)