The Art of Eating Well

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قالَ المُوَفَّقُ عَبْدُ اللَّطِيفِ

Al-Muwafaq 'Abd al-Latif said

كَانَ مِنْ سُنَّةِ الهِنْدِ أَنَّهُمْ إِذَا أَرَادُوا تَنَاوُلَ الغِذَاءِ اغْتَسَلُوا

It was a custom in India that when they wanted to eat, they would bathe.

وَ لَبِسُوا الثَّوْبَ النَّظِيفَ وَ شَمُّوا الطِّيبَ وَ أَمْسَكُوا عَنِ الحَرَكَاتِ

They would wear clean clothes, smell perfume, and refrain from movements.

وَ هَجَرُوا الرَّفَثَ ثُمَّ أَقْبَلُوا عَلَى الطَّعَامِ

They would abandon indecent talk and then approach the food.

وَ سَيَأْتِي الكَلَامُ عَلَى مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنْ هَذَا الكَلَامِ كُلِّهِ

The discussion on what is possible from all of this will come later.

لِيُؤْكَلَ فِي الصَّيْفِ الْبَارِدُ وَ فِي الشِّتَاءِ الْحَارُّ إِدْخَالُ طَعَامٍ عَلَى طَعَامٍ آخَرَ رَدِيءٌ

Cold foods should be eaten in the summer, and hot foods in the winter; introducing food upon another food is bad.

وَ كَذَلِكَ الحَرَكَةُ بَعْدَهُ

Likewise, movement after it is harmful.

قَالَ الأَطِبَّاءُ

The physicians said

الحَرَكَةُ قَبْلَ الطَّعَامِ خَيْرٌ كُلُّهُ كَمَا أَنَّهَا بَعْدَهُ شَرٌّ كُلُّهُ

Movement before food is entirely good, just as it is after it entirely evil.

وَ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُصْلَحَ حَارُّهُ بِبَارِدِهِ

And its hotness should be balanced with its coldness.

وَ حُلْوُهُ بِحَامِضِهِ

And its sweetness with its sourness.

وَ دَسَمُهُ بِمَالِحِهِ

And its fatness with its saltiness.

وَ قَابِضِهِ بِدَسَمِهِ

Its astringency with its fatness.

وَ تَكْثِيرُ الأَلْوَانِ مُحَيِّرٌ لِلطَّبِيعَةِ

Having too many types of food confuses the body's nature.

وَ اللَّذِيذُ أَحْمَدُ لَوْلَا الإِكْثَارُ مِنْهُ وَمُلَازَمَةُ الطَّعَامِ التَّفِهِ

Delicious food is praiseworthy, were it not for overeating it, and sticking to bland food.

تَسْقُطُ الشَّهْوَةُ وَ تُوجِبُ الكَسَلَ

It diminishes appetite and induces laziness.

وَ كَثْرَةُ الحَامِضِ تُسْرِعُ الهَرَمَ

Excessive sourness accelerates aging.

وَ إِدْمَانُ الحُلْوِ يُرْخِي الشَّهْوَةَ وَ يَحْمِي البَدَنَ

Continuous consumption of sweets weakens appetite and heats the body.

وَ الْمَالِحُ يُجَفِّفُ البَدَنَ وَيُهْزِلُهُ

Saltiness dries the body and makes it emaciated.