Existing comment:
Kublai Khan (1215-1294)
A Moveable Feast
Like his nomadic ancestors, Mongol emperor Kublai Khan moved with the seasons, from his winter capital, Dadu -- not Beijing -- to his summer one in today's Inner Mongolia, called Shangdu, or Xanadu. He often stayed in a breezy garden outside his marble palace at Shangdu, holding court in his "pleasure palace" -- an opulent house made of cane that could be taken down and put up very quickly, like a traditional Mongolian ger, or yurt.
Marco Polo:
Venetian merchant Marco Polo may have visited Kublai Khan at Shangdu, and he described the hospitality at palace banquets: "Officers.... are continually visiting every part of the hall, inquiring of the guests if there is anything with which they are unprovided, or whether any of them wish for wine, milk, meat, or other articles, in which case it is immediately brought to them."
Behind the Scenes:
Mongol courts were filled with foreigners, so Koreans, Persians Russians, Kashmiris and Tibetans could easily have worked in the kitchen of Kublai Khan. To prevent poisoning, key posts such as cook, table manager and waiter were filled by an elite group of imperial bodyguards. |