The Cook and the Tsar

Once upon a time, there lived a king. One day, he invited foreign kings, monarchs, and various advisors to a grand feast with musicians.

Three days before the feast, the king summoned his cook, gave him money, and ordered him to go to the market to buy the very best and most expensive things in the world, so that only the finest dishes would grace the table.

The cook went to the market, spent all the money on tongues, brought them to the kitchen, cooked them with various spices, and prepared the dishes for the royal table.

Soon, the guests arrived. The king seated them at the tables and ordered the dishes to be served.

The cook served each guest a piece of tongue. The guests ate the tongue, and the king ordered the next course to be brought.

Again, the cook served each guest a piece of tongue. The guests were baffled. They looked at each other in surprise—why were they being served only tongue dishes? Was this some local custom?

The guests ate what was served and waited to see what would come next.

The king ordered the next course to be brought. Once again, the cook brought out tongue!

"Why are we being served nothing but tongue?" the guests asked.

The king summoned the cook:

"Did I not order you to buy the very best and most expensive things in the world at the market?!" The cook replied:

"O radiant king! What could possibly be better and more valuable than the tongue? The tongue can do anything—it can raise kings to the throne, end wars, and make peace!"

The guests marveled at the cook's words and praised his wit. Then they discussed among themselves and decided: let the cook go to the market once more and buy the very worst thing in the world. The cook went and returned with... tongue! The king said to him:

"Did I not order you to buy the very worst thing in the world?!" The cook replied:

"O radiant king! What could possibly be worse than the tongue? After all, the tongue can ruin and destroy everything—friendship, harmony, and peace!"

More fairy tales

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• Trandafir - the Wheat Grain
• Făt-Frumos, the Hunter's Son, in the Kingdom of the Serpent
• The Legend of the Swallow
• Pekală and the Boyar