Meta Month, Day Four: Magvel Cuisine

[mark_asphodel]

Frelia:  

Syrene and Tana discuss cooking but provide no specifics.  Grr.  In keeping with the idea of Frelia as the “Scottish place” (with some Nordic influence), I imagine lots of fish plus a general “heartiness” of food necessary to see one through the northern winters.  Game is eaten more often than farm animals.  Oats and potatoes are common starches, though the upper classes have access to wheat.  Pies and pasties, both savory and sweet, are favored, as are stews and sausages.  I think it says something that Tana was able to do “good Frelian cooking” at an army camp-- we’re not talking Cordon Bleu finery here.  Berries and almonds turn up in sweet dishes, as do strong spices like ginger and cloves.  IMO, Frelians are more likely to drink ale and beer... and hard liquor.  Maybe mead, but not so much grape wine.

Renais: 

Landlocked Renais focuses more on livestock-- beef and veal, lamb and mutton, pork, and poultry-- than the other nations, though freshwater fish are well-loved.  Lack of a seaport means that exotic spices and such are harder to come by, and the food in Renais has an emphasis on fresh local ingredients, with fruits and vegetables.  Possibly one of the more healthful cuisines of Magvel (aside from red meat), but considered somewhat unsophisticated and provincial.  Wine and ale both favored as beverages, and liquor made from grapes.  Local honey is preferred to imported sugar, except by the upper classes.  Apples, grapes, apricots, and walnuts turn up a lot.  

Grado:

Pork is eaten here, moreso than elsewhere.  Ham is a delicacy.  The swampy areas are conducive to growing rice, and subtropical fruits are found along the coast.  I actually imagine this cuisine as being close to what Virginian and South Carolinian cooking used to be like, back when the cooking of the Old South was the best the US had to offer gourmets.  Imagine a feast with cream of peanut soup, ham with oyster sauce, sweet potatoes with molasses and coconut... yum.  Wine is the preferred drink.

Carcino:

I see Carcino as a place for innovation, as the rulers outdo themselves at banquets in an attempt to prove they’re better than nobles.  I think of it as Northern Italian cooking-- think Emilia-Romanga and Etruria (no, not that Etruria!).  Desserts include gilded almonds, glaceed fruits and chestnuts, and other little delicacies.  Wine is drunk.    

Jehanna:

Persian/Chaldean, maybe.  Lamb and chicken, sweet-sour dishes with saffron rice, liberal dustings of sumac, and extremely sweet desserts.  Teas and coffee, and drinks like orange-water and cinnamon-water are popular.

Rausten: OK, they like fish.  With their northern latitude and all, I see this as more Russian/Baltic.  Pickled fish and pickled vegetables, potatoes and other root vegetables... just the basics for the common folk.  Nobles would enjoy their caviar, though!  The thing that stands out about Rausten would be a culture of ritual purity with regards to food-- very particular rules about everything.  More like Eastern Orthodox or Russian Jewish culture, maybe.  And now I’m imagining little!L’Arachel digging into a platter of rugelach.  Yum.

Oh yes, and don’t forget the vodka.  I’m sure Dozla knows a thing or three about that... though the holier types drink plain water to show how good they are.

Comments

[amielleon]

Ham being a delicacy is a surprise to me. I was under the impression that pig meat was a thing of convenience -- you can feed a pig anything and it'll grow you meat, whereas pasture animals need a lot of, well, pasture room. Unless you mean to imply that meat in general is a delicacy? Or am I missing something here?

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

Good ham-- REALLY good ham-- is prized. Certain kinds of Virginian ham used to be, and Iberian and some Italian hams still are. Making them is kind of an art, like making cheese.

[amielleon]

... Wow... Just wikipedia'd it. I had no idea that fine hams as a cuisine existed until now. Learn something new every day.

[kyusil.livejournal.com]

I had forgotten to leave a comment on your Archanea one, but these are fascinating. Even though I don't know a lot about real food...

[samuraiter.livejournal.com]

(Lowen! Where are you when we need you?)

[writerawakened.livejournal.com]

Mmm...those dishes all sound good. I couldn't agree more regarding the straightforward diet of Renais and the expensive, high cuisine stuff for Carcino.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Carcino is fun to imagine.

[wolfraven80.livejournal.com]

This is a really great post! I love all the detail in it. I had thought of posting a bit about the subject of food, but I was thinking more in terms of distribution or availability, e.g. you mentioned potatoes which of course, in the real world, were introduced to Europe from South America.

Sounds like you're pretty well versed on the subject. I always have to do a lot of digging to try to figure out what characters would be eating. Anyway, really excellent post! I love the breakdown of the regional cuisines.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I, ah, like food. Heh.

you mentioned potatoes which of course, in the real world, were introduced to Europe from South America.

With Archanea and Valencia, I stick to an Old World/New World model for crop distribution, with Archanea as the "old" world and Valencia as the new. With the other continents, I'm a little more willing to allow for things like sweet potatoes and corn originating on the same continent as everything else. Especially for Magvel, given its overall "Renaissance" (arguably post-Columbian) feel.

[barefootbeanie.livejournal.com]

Food is a great topic, IMO.

It all sounds very delicious. Particularly Frelia's hearty cuisine and pastries with almonds. Mm~

[xirysa.livejournal.com]

I always love your food posts. *A* Of course, I know literally next to nothing about meat and meat dishes aside from what I research for writing, but this is all absolutely fascinating!

Personally, I feel like I'd really enjoy Carcino cuisine. (Whatever bit of food-related headcanon I have says their sweetmeats and candied nuts are especially prized.)

[hooves.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to say

NOW I AM HUNGRY

[crimsonmorgan.livejournal.com]

Awesome. I really have no big knowledge about food. This is really interesting.

[rosage.livejournal.com]

Hey, random passerby here who just had to post a comment upon seeing food nerdery and Fire Emblem nerdery in the same place. I unfortunately am not a knowledgeable enough nerd about either to be able to add anything, but I just wanted to let you know I found this all really interesting. Rausten's cuisine especially makes sense to me.

I am curious if you have any thoughts about cooking styles that might develop in any of the cultures? I'm really interested in the way cuisine develops and you seem knowledgeable so I figured I'd ask. Like, I see the way availability of ingredients and level of social status affects cuisine but I have not thought much about how methods of cooking develop. For instance, you mentioned a comparison of Jehanna to Persian cuisine. Anything spanning from North Africa through south Asia makes me think of clay pot vessel type stewing (tagines, etc.) but that's the extent of my generalized knowledge.

Sorry if a stranger trying to pick your brains is a little weird. ^^; The post was just really interesting to me.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to let you know I found this all really interesting

Thanks!

I am curious if you have any thoughts about cooking styles that might develop in any of the cultures?

Hmm, I cheat a little here and fall back on the styles of the cultures I'm plundering. I do see a preference for stews, say, in Frelia (good for armies on the move, helps heat a home in winter) and perhaps some tandoor-style oven baking in Jehanna. Also, grilling I see as more a Jehannan thing, as opposed to roasting elsehwhere. But that's about it. I'll have to put some more thought into that aspect of it!

[rosage.livejournal.com]

Aaah, that all makes sense. Thanks for the response. :)