Tamtaj in Folk and Persian Literature

In the history of Persian literature, foods are among the categories that have entered from popular culture into literary language; in addition to writing independent books on the subject or composing specific poems about them, they have been mentioned in various literary texts. "Ode on Totmajiyye" by Shamsoddin Ahmad Ibn Manouchehr Shast Kolah, an Iraqi poet and a courtier of the Toghrol Seljuk (573-590), is one of the few poems that specifically describes how to cook a meal, which has a very high frequency of use in Persian poetry and prose. However, without understanding all its aspects, it will be difficult to understand the meaning of some verses and phrases of the Persian texts. This research investigates Totmaj and its related issues in a descriptive-analytical way, using library-based and content-analysis methods of Persian literature texts. The main finding, besides clarifying the subject, is to obtain the correct meaning of terms and combinations that have found their way into the Persian literature based on how to cook or eat Totmaj. Moreover, due to the passage of time and the changes occurring in this food, it has become difficult for the literati to understand their meaning.

Research Background

The background for the topic of this research in the Persian literature is the studies that have been done about the Ode on Totmajiyye and its poet. Therefore, the information provided about the Totmaj mostly came with the description of the poem.

This discussion started by Bahar in an article in Mehr Journal (Bahar, 1938) and completed by Qazvini in the article " Unknown Poets: Ahmad ebn Manouchehr Shastkolah" (Qazvini, 1944).

This trend continued in other studies as well, among which we can refer to the article "Ode on Totmaj by Ahmad Ibn Manouchehr Shastkolah in the battle of Molla Sadra" (Chatraei, 2011). Tajbakhsh (2010) has explained this term in this study. The commentators on Nezami’s "Haft Peykar" have also provided some explanations about the Totmaj, which will be discussed in the final section of the study.

Goals, questions, and assumptions

The scope of popular literature includes categories such as traditions, beliefs, habits, legends, anecdotes, proverbs, songs and folk poems, and the behaviors like cooking and eating, sewing and dressing, funeral rites, weddings, etc.

The purpose of this study is to determine the method of cooking and eating Totmaj focusing on one of the sub-branches of popular literature. Also, it is aimed to draw the entry path of this food from popular culture to Persian literature.

Main discussion

The oldest and most well-documented information about this food can be seen in the Ode on Totmajiyye, composed by Shamsoddin Ahmad Ibn Manouchehr Shastkolah, an Iraqi poet and a courtier of the Toghrol Seljuk (590-573 AH). In this ode, the method of cooking Totmaj is expressed in a poetic language.

The whole story is that the lover comes to the beloved's house and asks for food, and the cooking method is described as follows:

1. Using a stick, spread the dough on the back of a dish.

2. Cut the Totmaj with a dagger, in the shape of an arrow.

3. Place the Totmaj strings on a clean tablecloth until the moisture of the dough is absorbed.

4. Prepare the butteroil and buttermilk from milk.

5. After pouring water into the pot and lighting the fire underneath it, add garlic and Tezleq.

6. After adding the Totmaj dough to the pot, sprinkle the tail oil and pour buttermilk on it.

7. Finally, put the Totmaj on the table in a large container.

Bread was not used in eating Totmaj; also, leeks and salts were among the substances that were poured into the pot along with Totmaj. Therefore, they were not needed while eating.

It should be noted that in Persian literature, "water of Totmaj" is a symbol of low value. Besides, sharp sticks, called "Totmaj skewer", are mentioned for eating Totmaj, which are not seen in popular literature. On the other hand, Bahar explains this based on "filling the dough with leeks and garlic, and folding it layer by layer" (Bahar, 1938, p. 349), while it has not been mentioned in the ode on Totmajiye, and it seems that Bahar has referred to it as a mental symmetry due to its familiarity with the method of cooking Lakhshak soup.

It should also be mentioned that by changing the shape of Totmaj, and the different variations that come with this food for the people, its application in the Persian literature decreases. Hence, it is difficult to understand the concept of verses written with the approach of how to cook or eat this food.

Conclusion

Every nation and culture has its own customs and traditions that are passed down from generation to generation besides language and race, and form a part of the people's cultural identity making it differ from others. Poets and writers also contribute to this process by reflecting these issues in their works.

The relationship between popular culture and literary language has long been established in Persian literature in such a way that popular culture has always helped to enrich the literary language, and has been the basis for the discovery of new horizons in literature. This connection can be found in the entry of Totmaj from popular culture into literary language, and the entry of simple and unpretentious terms and combinations, which were formed only to convey meaning in the popular language.

Interestingly, the poets of Persian literature have both referred directly to Totmaj and its related issues, and tried to use it in other themes through ironic and metaphorical devices.

In the meantime, modernization and changes that naturally happen in people's lives may cause difficulties in understanding the meaning of categories derived from popular culture in literary language. Occasionally, a completely general and tangible issue which has been used in an allegorical form in a period of Persian literature history to clarify a particular concept, becomes one of the ambiguities of literature and the changes that occur therein.

Another point is the low effort of lexicographers to record the vocabulary and compositions of popular culture, which has resulted in its abandonment. Nevertheless, one should not easily overlook the usefulness of Persian literature resources and texts in resolving the ambiguities of a subject, and as it is shown in this study, a wide range of information related to a topic can be obtained by comprehensive studies and reference to different sources.

References

Bahar, M. T. (1938). Shams al-Din Ahmad Ibn Manuchehr ShastKolah. Mehr Literary Journal, 5, 347-353.

Chatraii, M. (2011). The ode of Ahmad Ibn Manuchehre ShastKolah in Mulla Sadra's corpus. Heritage Report, 49, 27 29.

Ghazvini, M. (1944). Unknown poets: Ahmad Ibn Manouchehr ShastKolah. Yadegar, 2, 54 70.

Tajbakhsh, A. (2010). A research on the Turkish words of Shams articles. History of Literature, 3(66), 55 70.