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hundred dirhams for the same price. When the supply increases and the price is reduced to two
hundred and fifty dirhams for one akça, the chicken meat will be set at eighty dirhams for the same
price. If the mutton price basis rises to three hundred dirhams, the chicken meat will sell for ninety
dirhams for one akça.
The egg prices set at ten eggs per for one akça in winter, fourteen in springtime and sixteen in
August were found to have been altered still for the same reason. The sellers were ordered to revert
to the old rules.
Fish sellers:
Regarding the fish sellers who were summoned together with their assessors and city fathers, it was
learned that a tax of two akças were being paid per load before, that carp commanded a price of one
akça per oke, catfish sold for one akça per five hundred dirhams, prices of marine fish were six
hundred dirhams for one akça and znik trouts were being bought at one akça per oke. This system
had also been abandoned always for the same reasons and, what is more, a 15-akça additional tax
was imposed on fish over and above the previous two akças. This additional tax was repealed and
the merchants were told to use the old rules. They accepted this first, but disregarded it in practice.
Then were examined the eateries.
Cooks, their assessors and city fathers replied in the Council meeting the questions on the meals
served by saying that they were selling one half of the raw meat and a broth for one akça when they
bought the mutton at one akça for two hundred and fifty dirhams, thus they served the meal using
one-fourth of the raw meat. The fried meat dish prices were three and a half akças per oke and
meals of prime cuts, bought at four akças an oke, would be sold at one akça for ninety dirhams less
the onions to be served as side dish. Pot stew with bones was for one akça per hundred and twenty
five dirhams and kebab on skewer sold at one akça per handred twelve and a half dirhams. All this
were now disregarded for reasons as said before. The old rules were reinstated, possibly under a
special edict to be obtained for added enforcement strength.
Fritters:
Asked about the old rules, assessors of fritter makers replied that at a time when the mutton was
sold at one akça per two hundred and fifty dirhams, a fritter selling for one akça required seventy
dirhams of meat, ten dirhams of onions and hundred dirhams of dough, making up a total of one
hundred and eight dirhams. An oke of pure fat and pepper for one akça used to be added to the raw
materials. These rules are now disregarded for the reasons mentioned before. The old rules were
reinstated.
Sheep heads:
In the shop serving approximately six hundred heads of which one hundred was available for forty
akças together with the legs, expenditures were two hundred and forty akças for heads, two hundred
akças for daily shop rentals, price of sixteen chords of wood, two hundred and forty akças as labour
wages including their meals, eighty akças for bread, sixteen akças for salt and vinegar and thirtythree
akças for garlic. The total daily costs were therefore nine hundred and seven akças. Selling
one head together with vinegar and four slices of bread for one akça and four feet together with
bread selling also for one akça, daily revenues became twelve hundred akças, leaving a net profit of
two hundred and ninety akças. These prices were applied during the four months when the mutton
sold at one akça for two hundred dirhams and when they could buy one hundred heads together
with legs for sixteen akças. Therefore, it was decided that the heads should be sold at one and a
quarter akças together with bread and four legs together with bread should be sold for one akça.
Textiles:
Assessors said the following in response to the questions on the old rules established for the velvet,
taffeta and brocade:
Old custom was to add five okes of root dye to weft threads of velvet and three dirhams for each
dirham of pile. For the last four or five years, they use three okes for the weft and two and later one
and a half dirhams for each dirham of pile.
The colour therefore began to worsen and acquired a bluish tinge, which they called magenta. But
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