‘And the king appointed for them a daily portion of the king's food, and of the wine that he drank, and that they should be nourished for three years, that at the end of that period they might stand before the king.'
The young men were put in the care of Ashpenaz so that they could be developed into strapping young men. Every luxury in food and drink was to be theirs. This was in a sense a period of probation and no doubt some might drop out. ‘Three years' could signify any period from about one and a half years (part of a year, a year, and part of a year) to the full three. Basically they had to go though a complete course of training. The final purpose was that they might become trusted and well favoured courtiers. Both appearance and learning was considered important for a young, budding court official.
‘A daily portion of the king's ‘food' (an old Persian word meaning ‘assignment', the food allocated by the king through his high officials), and of the wine that he drank.' It was the ancient custom that such favoured people should eat and drink what the king ate and drank. It was a sign of high favour.