Medieval Eastern and Western banquet traditions

In medieval times banquets were organised and attended by aristocrats or royalty as only the rich could afford not only feeding but also entertaining a big group of people. There were, of course, smaller events, such as wedding celebrations, organised by the poor but these would not be as lavish as the banquets of the upper classes. It had been so both in the East and in the West what must be one of the few common features of both cultures.

In this post, the banquet traditions of both East and West are visualised using the medieval depictions of banquets.The first two images take us to the 16th and 17th century Iran.

Shah Tahmasp I (1514-1576) receiving the exiled Mughal Emperor Humayun (1508-1556) in 1543.
Image Muhammad Mahdi Karim

Shah Abbas II (1632-1666) holding a banquet for the Amir of Turkestan Nadir Mahammad Khan in 1640.
Image: Sorosh Tavakoli/ wikipedia.org

Let's view the food and banquet of Ottomans from around the same century:

Ottoman General Lala Mustafa Pasha holds a banquet for Jannissaries, 1578. Image: muslimheritage.com

Ottoman tables in later periods:

Sultan III Ahmed (1673 - 1736) and government officials. Image: muslimheritage.com

Images from the Caliphate:

Wedding celebrations, Maqamat Al-Hariri, 1225-1235, Caliphate

Wedding celebrations, Maqamat Al-Hariri, 1237, Irag, Caliphate

Let's now look at Western tables and celebrations:

Anglo-Saxon King Edward the Confessor (1003/1005 - 1066), Domesday Book, 1241. Image: nationalarchives.gov.uk

A Crusade play at the King of France Charles V's banquet. 1375-1380. Image: blogs.getty.edu

Richard II of England's (1367-1400) banquet, 1460-1500. Image: British Library

I believe the biggest difference in the pictures above is people's seating styles. It looks like in the East everyone, including hosts used to sit on the floor. In the West people sat behind the tables and on the chairs. 

Wedding banquet, 1483, Sandro Botticelli. 

As for cutlery, in the West in medieval times guests used to attend banquets with their own knifes and ate with these whereas in the East people would normally eat with their hands. One common feature on the pictures could perhaps be the way the guests are entertained. Both in the West and in the East musical instruments/ music are used to entertain guests.