The cooking traditions of Avlis.

[Hamlet]

Recently, in conversation, a fellow Avlis player *waves to Aramithran* brought up the cooking traditions across the Kurathene fiefdoms. Neither of us had much of a clue about those but the topic got me thinking.

All right, so we are familiar with the M'Chekian wheat breads and pastry. Visimontium's settlers from the south keep the same tradition but are more famous for their cheeses. We may be quick to blame a sprite for missing candy, and some of us try their best not to notice the elves eating weird things like stuffed mushrooms, berries and pine seeds.

There's the famous Brekonese Herb-Stuffed Rump Roast, the Feyan Fillet of Trout with Garlic, the Ferrellian Eel Pie, the Jechranian Cherry Pie, Tolgaroth's legacy in BBQ & ice cream (whether attributed tongue-in-cheek or otherwise), the creations of assorted pioneers.

And ... well, that's about it, if not counting The Ogre Gourmet (50 Recipes for Elfmeat).

There is plenty of information on the alchoholic drinks of Avlis but comparably little is known on the cooking traditions of the various races, nations, ethnicities. Would someone be willing to give an overview of the Avlis cuisine?

Bah, typos.

[Anomandari]

M'Chekians eat white bread and elves. Every child in T'Nanshi should know that. *Points to the Elven Gourmet booklet.* But now you made me think about writing a culinary guide to some of the places.

[Hamlet]

*Points to the Elven Gourmet booklet.*

Eh, fo' serious now, who would believe that this book is anything but M'Chekian military propaganda?

[Brayon]

*Points to the Elven Gourmet booklet.*

Eh, fo' serious now, who would believe that this book is anything but M'Chekian military propaganda?

just talk to the nobles in M'Chek. Most still like their Elf Ear stew.

[Anomandari]

...err, I. One of my characters actually attempted to go through all the recipes there.

[JollyOrc]

I know there's Daniolis Bakery in Medec, which made Gingerbread Fingers and such.

[Ambrosia]

The Port Hole's own Will, is famous in more then one county for his not-to-be-beat Chocolate Chip Cookes.

[loki70]

There used to be restaurants in Kuras, which served stew and the like for the commoners (full meal in a bowl type stuff, which is normal soldier fare) to noble cuisine, which I always figured was like french cuisine, heavy on the cream sauces, duck liver pate, that sort of thing. I seem to remember there being a cook in the tradesman's district who sold food as well. Maybe Jonezie could shed some light here, as he did a lot of the coding.

[Lady_Ashling]

Char has bugbear meat pies!

[Xiaou]

why cant there be regional cuisine themes? Spicier food in Grantir, fattier richer foods in Brekon, liberal use of sweeteners in Elysia, etc?

[Gurky_Bogglewig]

Perhaps looking at the in-game items available from local merchants could serve as a starting point. For instance (and I'm trying to remember from 4 years ago), I'd expect a lot of fungus-based cooking when visiting Deglosian inns.

[strickp]

Yes, and a lot of seafood in Ferrell, i.e., Ferrell Eel pie, Ferrell Fish Sticks.

[Urizen]

I wrote this about 6 years ago:

Shaahesk Eating

It should be noted that because they are cold-blooded, shaahesk do not need to eat as often as warm-blooded races. Although to a large degree eating is viewed as a necessity rather than any sort of pleasurable experience, the desire to demonstrate their strength to others, as well as the drive to find nourishing meals, has led to certain peculiarities.

Shaahesk are first and foremost carnivores. All creatures are considered potential food, including other shaahesk. For cultural reasons, sentient races (although the shaahesk do not consider them sentient) are considered the best food, dwarf in particular because of their ample portions. Any food that can be swallowed live and whole is considered a delicacy, such as snakes and eels. Sometimes, however, this can be more for the experience and decadence than taste, such as eating small fairies.

Typically food is eaten as fresh as possible and raw. In poorer places, minimal preparation is done. Food is simply hacked apart by a large knife, if that, and devoured. More affluent shaahesk take more time with preparation. Meats can be sliced into thin strips and dipped into various liquids, such as raw egg. The most affluent shaahesk eat live food. Slowly cutting strips off of a live being and eating them is the height of shaahesk eating. Rarely food is smoked for preservation, particularly for soldiers who must spend their time fighting rather than tracking down food. Smoked freshwater eel is the most common. Cooking on an open fire is not done.

In shaahesk culture, the use of fingers in eating food is acceptable. The use of a single knife in slicing and getting food to the mouth is also done, which also tends to leave those eating with their fingers alone in a more precarious situation. It is considered good form to stab a piece of food that someone is reaching for with their fingers to claim it as one’s own. Typically, the social castes do not eat together. When they do, the highest-ranking shaahesk eat first. When all present are of equal status, the strongest eats the most, and the fastest knife gets the best cuts. The weak are allowed to eat what is left over.

[Dreamangel]

I've done a great deal of imagining about goblin cuisine, its schtick being to make the most seemingly disgusting foodstuffs into remarkably palletable dishes. One can start with the ubiquitous Crop Rat Stew or Field Mouse Shishkabob Flambe, or really delve into some true goblin gourmet...

*Boiled giant spider legs, served with melted goat milk butter and a side of steamed deadriver asparagus
*Wyvern fois gras
*Drotid hummus, made from a variety of legumes and spices native to the swamplands
*Pond carp terrine, a sort of meatloaf minced with finely chopped vegetables and served at room temperature
*Toostan omelet, made from carefully fermented egg yolks and saffron
*Variations on escargot, caviar, sushi, kimchi, and calamari

The list goes on!

[strickp]

Hey, between Gurky and Flenken, no doubt there would be some awesome additions to gnomish cuisine...

[Grunt]

I should have Flenken start a series of restaurant reviews...
Hmmm...

[Aramithran]

Well, the thing is that the opportunity to RP cooking has reached Eudaimon, and I assumed that his only practice on that would have been from Kuras (where he spent his childhood and teenage years), yet I have no idea about what recipes characterize the zone.

Someone once told me that the Kurathene Empire was somehow based on the Roman Empire, that will probably make me spend some time on history books and my Asterix comics (I know there's Wiki but I'd really like to -taste- this research).

However, if anyone can provide a -somewhat official- statement or direct me to any source, I´ll appreciate it greatly.

Other than that, the topic itself is proving to be interesting, not only for Kuras but for Avlis as a whole

Kudos for interesting new stuff!

[surfer69]

I wrote this about 6 years ago:

Shaahesk Eating

It should be noted that because they are cold-blooded, shaahesk do not need to eat as often as warm-blooded races. Although to a large degree eating is viewed as a necessity rather than any sort of pleasurable experience, the desire to demonstrate their strength to others, as well as the drive to find nourishing meals, has led to certain peculiarities.

Shaahesk are first and foremost carnivores. All creatures are considered potential food, including other shaahesk. For cultural reasons, sentient races (although the shaahesk do not consider them sentient) are considered the best food, dwarf in particular because of their ample portions. Any food that can be swallowed live and whole is considered a delicacy, such as snakes and eels. Sometimes, however, this can be more for the experience and decadence than taste, such as eating small fairies.

Typically food is eaten as fresh as possible and raw. In poorer places, minimal preparation is done. Food is simply hacked apart by a large knife, if that, and devoured. More affluent shaahesk take more time with preparation. Meats can be sliced into thin strips and dipped into various liquids, such as raw egg. The most affluent shaahesk eat live food. Slowly cutting strips off of a live being and eating them is the height of shaahesk eating. Rarely food is smoked for preservation, particularly for soldiers who must spend their time fighting rather than tracking down food. Smoked freshwater eel is the most common. Cooking on an open fire is not done.

In shaahesk culture, the use of fingers in eating food is acceptable. The use of a single knife in slicing and getting food to the mouth is also done, which also tends to leave those eating with their fingers alone in a more precarious situation. It is considered good form to stab a piece of food that someone is reaching for with their fingers to claim it as one’s own. Typically, the social castes do not eat together. When they do, the highest-ranking shaahesk eat first. When all present are of equal status, the strongest eats the most, and the fastest knife gets the best cuts. The weak are allowed to eat what is left over.

We need more of this.

Or maybe people can conceive of regional/racial cuisines? You know like "Grovehaven Leaf Pie" or a Deglosian breakfast food called "Grape Nutz"?

[Nob]

I'll have a somewhat more detailed post on this in a bit...

[Sarrena]

I wrote this about 6 years ago:

Shaahesk Eating

It should be noted that because they are cold-blooded, shaahesk do not need to eat as often as warm-blooded races. Although to a large degree eating is viewed as a necessity rather than any sort of pleasurable experience, the desire to demonstrate their strength to others, as well as the drive to find nourishing meals, has led to certain peculiarities.

Shaahesk are first and foremost carnivores. All creatures are considered potential food, including other shaahesk. For cultural reasons, sentient races (although the shaahesk do not consider them sentient) are considered the best food, dwarf in particular because of their ample portions. Any food that can be swallowed live and whole is considered a delicacy, such as snakes and eels. Sometimes, however, this can be more for the experience and decadence than taste, such as eating small fairies.

Typically food is eaten as fresh as possible and raw. In poorer places, minimal preparation is done. Food is simply hacked apart by a large knife, if that, and devoured. More affluent shaahesk take more time with preparation. Meats can be sliced into thin strips and dipped into various liquids, such as raw egg. The most affluent shaahesk eat live food. Slowly cutting strips off of a live being and eating them is the height of shaahesk eating. Rarely food is smoked for preservation, particularly for soldiers who must spend their time fighting rather than tracking down food. Smoked freshwater eel is the most common. Cooking on an open fire is not done.

In shaahesk culture, the use of fingers in eating food is acceptable. The use of a single knife in slicing and getting food to the mouth is also done, which also tends to leave those eating with their fingers alone in a more precarious situation. It is considered good form to stab a piece of food that someone is reaching for with their fingers to claim it as one’s own. Typically, the social castes do not eat together. When they do, the highest-ranking shaahesk eat first. When all present are of equal status, the strongest eats the most, and the fastest knife gets the best cuts. The weak are allowed to eat what is left over.

We need more of this.

Or maybe people can conceive of regional/racial cuisines? You know like "Grovehaven Leaf Pie" or a Deglosian breakfast food called "Grape Nutz"?

My Shaahesk is throwing this off a tad, she cooks on an open flame rather often and uses rather vigorous spicing in some recipes. Raw is in there of course now and then.

[Anomandari]

[Gurky_Bogglewig]

Hey, between Gurky and Flenken, no doubt there would be some awesome additions to gnomish cuisine...

Gurky's probably part of the school of culinary thought whose inventions aren't edible without magical protection. See his essay on the 1,000 uses of onions in everyday and exotic dishes.