Great Department
| 大官 l′adh-kwar | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | Antiquity |
| Headquarters | Sk′ên′-ljang Palace, Kien-k'ang |
| Employees | 252 |
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent agency | Privy Treasury |
The Great Department (大官, l′adh-kwar) is the office responsible for preparation of food to the monarch of Themiclesia, his consort, and his court. It is one of the oldest government agencies in Themiclesia, predating its unification in 266.
Strcuture
- Director (大官令, l′adh-kwar-ringh)
- Secretary of Cuisine (左丞, dzar′-djêng)
- Secretary of Bouillon (湯丞, r′ang-djêng)
- Secretary of Fruits (果丞, gwar-djêng)
- Secretary of Confections (甘丞, kam-djêng)
Etymology
The name "Great Department" is not well understood in the context of Themiclesian history. It is believed this term is not borne out of misinterpretation but the primordial importance of food to the monarchy. In many ancient polities, the kitchen developes a special relationship with the monarch and attain to special dignity. It is thought this is responsible for the name "Great Department" in Shinasthana. The cognate department in dynastic Menghe is also called the "Great Department", though in the Menghean language it is rendered as tae-gwan.
History
In pre-dynastic Themiclesia, the Great Department is attested through inscriptions on bronze vessels and excavated bamboo strips that mention it. The Ran-lang Collection (蘭陽簡, ran-lang-krên, dated to the 2nd c. CE) is the earliest excavated document that mentions the Great Department, though some historians assume it should have existed long before then, since the state which the Collection describes is known to have imitated Menghean institutions at a much earlier date. In later dynasties, the Great Department is a fixture of the Inner Court.
Relationship with the Themiclesian monarchy
The Emperor's kitchen was the most prestigious department in the staff. In 1928, it employed 82 chefs and 491 line cooks. The name of the department in Shinasthana, the Great Department, evidences its distinguished status. The departmental head, the t′adh-kwan-mlings, was rated at 1,000 bushels—out-ranking all non-ceremonial military officers and on par with the mayor of a city. There was judged to be good reason for this extreme construction. The Emperor was the highest, and no conscientious subject could exceed what he enjoyed. Therefore, he was morally obliged to have the most, the best, and most of the best, so much so his subjects need not be worried of surpassing him in sumptuary terms. Though the political philosophy behind this extravagance was discarded, Themiclesian society still expected the Emperor to enjoy his privileges; governments were happy to oblige, as a demonstration of their loyalty to the crown and piety to tradition.
Though some courtiers expected Emperor L′jabh-tsung to bring some reforms to the stern, rigid discipline of royal eating, he turned out to be a traditionalist and, to his ministers, requested that nothing be changed. Unfortunately for those courtiers, Shljaps-tsung also reigned for 95 years, and in his later years reforms were all but shelved, so not to disrupt the ageing emperor's schedule and expectations.
At the apex of the sumptuary pyramid, royal cuisine demanded both quality and quantity. In the department of quantity, the canonical stipulations are strictly adhered to. The sovereign and his consort enjoyed nine tripods of soups and nine tables of meats, eight cauldrons of grains, 26 major entrees, and 120 minor entrees, totaling 172 items. Each one of these items must be prepared in quantities to fill the container in which it was carried, and the Emperor's bronzewares were gigantic: the smallest vessel was the size of a washing basin. In terms of quality, the kitchen had two primary sources of ingredients, the monarchy's private farms and gardens and tributary goods submitted by each prefecture. Fresh summer produce was obtained in winter by means of a hothouse that covered several acres. Trenches were dug under this facility, firewood there replenished and burning in enormous quantities. Chilled drinks and foods were made possible by storing ice in a deep cellar during the winter, where the earth would keep them solid throughout summer.
In terms of culinary technique, retired chefs from the kitchen have provided much information, which is nominally confidential. Several have said that "nothing should look or taste like what it actually is." Surprised foreign guests have also noted that "nothing resembles anything". Meats are ground into pastes, then cured as sheets, then cut into noodles, then fried, then braided, then steamed with flower petals to serve as a container for other items. Vegetables are broiled, stewed, strained, moulded into medallions, wind-dried, cut into cubes, deep-fried, braised in fruit juice, then served as garnishes. Soups have been served as jellies, and fishes disguised as fruits. As it is deemed an indignity for the Emperor to cut his food, most items are served bite-sized or easily detached from a larger structure. For the same reasons, roasts (too laborious to eat) and steaks (too simplistic in preparation) are never considered appropriate for a royal meal. Many recipes demand ingredients that themselves take days to ready and cooking processes that last equally long. The complexity of preparation and the intensity of labour is seen as a reflection of the Emperor's status.
A Tyrannian mission described the food served at court as follows:
The Emperor held court before breakfast, and breakfast was served at sunrise. Dinner was served at noon and lasted until three. The sovereign ate two meals a day. Breakfast was always served before full court, and dinner was usually alone. About two-hundred items, all lavishly prepared, was served in each occasion; the Emperor pointed at the items he desired, and they were delivered to him on plates. The scraps of his food, much of it unnoticed, went to feed the Gentlemen-at-Arms and other lowly persons, not so ranked as to merit his own meal.
Whenever a royal meal was ready, the Director of the Great Department would announce the names of each dish, as sculleries hoisted them in. Along with the Director were the Secretaries of Staples, of Sopus, of Sauces, and of Confections. In Casaterran terms, this was a form of Sieuxerrian service. In the canopy throne, the Emperor told his attendants (Ordinary, Royal, or Cavalier, as the case may be) the items he wished to eat, and they relayed this to the Director of the Great Department. Food was collected into the silver plate and served with silver chopsticks, which would oxidize in the presence of certain poisons and tarnish before the Emperor's eyes. The Lyric Poets would be brought in for songs, and the Royal Orchestra was called to provide music. Music and poetry were never absent from royal meals, thought to mellow the mind and discourage dangerous eating habits.
Trivia
- Secretary of Confections Trjang Mhje′ (張汜) held two pieces of glowing coal with his bare hands and forced them into the eyes of an assassin sent to kill Emperor Shljaps-tsung. Contracting terrible burns to his hands, he also prevented what was very nearly a successful assassination. His hands were amputated afterwards, leaving him unable to pursue his passion for confections. To commemorate his sacrifice, the Themiclesian Navy named five ships after his favourite creations—TS Chartreuse Jelly, TS Sorbet, TS Marshmellow, TS Cotton Candy, and TS Pudding.
- The Director of the Great Department was ranked at 1,000 bushels, reflecting the special relationship between the monarch and his kitchen staff.