I am a fan of Turkish drama for long! Thank God YouTube provides me access to some of them along with Turkish to English subtitles. With my love for history and the Ottoman empire, I simply had to watch this and as you can imagine, the favorites are the food shots!
For those of who do not know:
Ertugrul (died c. 1280) was the father of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. According to Ottoman tradition, he was the son of Suleyman Shah, leader of the Kayı tribe of Oghuz Turks, who fled from eastern Iran to Anatolia to escape the Mongol conquests. According to this legend, after the death of his father, Ertuğrul and his followers entered the service of the Seljuks of Rum, for which he was rewarded with dominion over the town of Söğüt on the frontier with the Byzantine Empire. This set off the chain of events that would ultimately lead to the founding of the Ottoman Empire (Wikipedia).
Ertugrul Ghazi real life portrait.
Lesson No. 1
One of the important lessons that is shown in the film is the concept of unity when having a meal together as a family. This is a system in many Islamic and Indian culture, where the notion of family is held high! This is specifically said by Hayme Anna who is the mother of Ertugrul and one of the strongest Turkish women portrayed in the TV series.
Lesson No. 2
One of the most intriguing occurrences in the series is when the tribal chiefs of the Kayı tribe get together for feasts and pull their own personal spoons out from the inside of their robes. There were separate metal spoons for Turkish coffee later on in the Ottoman life.
13th century wooden spoon.
Many fans of Ertuğrul have deliberated the rationale behind this and the most likely explanation is that the spoon, unlike the bowl, actually goes into the mouth of the individual. At a time when water was scarce (and detergent non-existent) it probably made most sense to bring your own spoon rather than the host having to scrub oral bacteria off a number of spoons. The lesson learned is that one should think about the ways on how not just to be a gracious host but also a gracious guest.
What can we do the next time we are invited to dinner to make life easier for the host and not be a burden for our hosts? Perhaps we can bring some spoons and Turkish delight with us for the host!
Lesson No. 3
No matter how many guests are present or how small or big the family is, unity at the dinner table is always maintained by the Turkish people.
Dirilis Ertugrul - Sesson 5
Dirilis Ertugrul - Sesson 2
Suleiman Shah was one of my favourite characters in the TV series! It is evident that Ertugrul is very much like his father.