The Story of the Barber’s Sixth Brotherfrom the thousand and One Nights

In the stories from the Thousand and One Nights, the calif takes a girl each evening and then has her killed in the morning, until Shahrzad (the noble daughter of the Vazir) agrees to be the calif’s wife for one night. However, she devises a plan of starting a story each evening, refusing to finish it until the next night. Her plan is successful and the khalifeh ultimately abandons his murderous way with women.

In the story “The Barber’s Sixth Brother,” the barber’s poor brother visits the mansion of a rich man with a sense of humor. The rich man treats the poor brother to a magnificent make-believe feast. While no food is actually served, the rich man describes a host of exotic dishes on the table in elaborate detail, beginning with all kinds of appetizers and then going on to rice with candied orange peel and carrots, and garnished with slivered pistachios and almonds, served with lamb stuffed with pistachios.