The Samanid court meal is organized around a large tablecloth (sofra) spread on the floor over carpets. First, bread (nân) and cold accompaniments (fruits, cheeses, herbs) are laid out, then hot dishes arrive in succession without a fixed order: a polo or âsh (thick soup), roasted or braised meats, stuffed pastries. Sweets and fragrant drinks punctuate the meal. At princely banquets, music accompanies each course, and wine flows between dishes.

Omnipresent in Samanid court cuisine, rose water perfumes both sweet dishes and drinks, while saffron — cultivated in the eastern Iranian plains — colors and ennobles pilâv and stews. These two aromatics embody the Persian refinement that Rûdakî celebrates in his verses.