Fínlǣ Foods

Commonly grown crops

Well-known grains in the Norse Territory of Fínlǣ include native and European species: wheat (hwettj), oats, barley (bᵫg), wild rice (manómin), maize (both nísjtǣl (flint-corn) and męjz (sweet-corn)), and sunflower.

Other staples (mostly native species) include nuts, beans, squash (kuttassj), leafy greens (brassicas and plangatos), various roots & tubers, chili peppers (tjillen), honey (mélᵫ), apples (æplr), cranberries, blueberries, cherries (including native choke cherries and black cherries, and European sweet cherries), maple syrup (odfᵫ́ðmélᵫ), tobacco (tabakko).

European carrots, parsnips, onions, beets, chard and celery are fairly widely cultivated.

Grains are most commonly used to make flatbreads, sourdough breads, soda breads, and beer, but the use of grains as flour and meal to make porridges and puddings, and to add body to other foods is well known, and oats and sunflower seeds are eaten raw and roasted on their own, or as an ingredient in pemmican.

Boiled-down "candy" from honey or maple syrup is regarded as tasty but extravagant, except in packing for long journeys, where the reduced mass and increased energy density is seen as preferable to the extra work involved and loss of taste and substance.

Sunflower oil is rarely extracted, given the free availability of animal fats, but it is known.

As astringent tea made from Eastern White Cedar needles is fairly popular, though the tree is gathered wild rather than farmed. The wood of this tree is also much prized as a crafting material.

Commonly farmed and hunted meats

Beef, buffalo, horse, mutton (wool is too valuable to consider eating lambs), goat (though mostly kept as walking garbage disposals and for milk), venison, pork, seal, whale, turkey, duck, goose, crab, lobster, salmon and various other river and sea fish. Marrow, organs, and other non-meat parts are eaten, especially in sausage.

Commonly used herbs and spices

Thyme, rosemary, sage (both European and American), dill, caraway, salt, black pepper, chilli pepper, paprika, cinnamon, vanilla, fennel, garlic (hwᵫdlœ́k), ginger, mustard, horseradish, juniper, American licorice, nutmeg, mace, sassafras, sumac, cherry kernels, and Eastern White cedar are well-known flavorants.

Of these, dill, caraway, fennel, and horseradish are the most popular.

Food prepration and preservation

Most food is boiled, baked, pan-fried or deep-fried (frying is done almost exclusively in animal fat, with beef fat being the most popular) over or on a fireplace, or slow-cooked in glowing embers. Grilling on a grate or grid over flames or embers is also known.

The use of stocks as a basis for soups and stews is known, though their advance preparation and storage is unknown: stock is usually made overnight or for a longer period, in advance of a planned meal, before being strained over fried ingredients, and then roasted or boiled, in a kind of osso bucco technique. The solids from the stockmaking process are usually used as animal food, but can be seen as an acceptable food in tight circumstances (though stockmaking is unlikely in such circumstances).

Hot and cold smoking are known as preservation methods, as well as simple drying, and wet or dry curing in nitrate, nitrite, salt, honey, and/or maple syrup based solutions. Pickling in brine or vinegar (usually malt vinegar made from beer) is fairly common.

Sasuage and pemmican, in particular, are popular storage methods for cured meats. Various nuts and grains (whole, meal, butter, or flour) and dried fruits my be used as fillers. Both fresh and dry sausages are known.

Butter and cheese making are both known, with milk from cows, buffalo, goats, and sheep all being easy to find, depending on local livestock.

Alcoholic drinks

Yeast derived from sourdough starters are often used to make Mead (mœðu, made from honey, and often fresh or dried fruits, herbs and spices), and beer (állu, made from wheat, barley, malt and honey), which are both very common. Hard cider is surprisingly uncommon, but not unknown, especially in colder regions and times, where/when a concoction that is essentially mulled cider is fairly widely available, for the right price.

Ice distillation is the most common method of producing strong spirits, but heat distillation in copper stills is known. Wiskkepæw (distilled from beer mash) and Mœðupœw (distilled from mead mash) are both known, but less common then beer and mead.

Hwettjipæw is a kind of un-aged spirit distilled from wheat (or other grains), used as a drink (mainly to fortify other drinks, but also alone), a medicine, and a fuel (often as an accellerant for fat and tallow-based fuels).

Wine (fínu) is uncommon, to the point where the Christian sacrament is often provided as mead. When found it is almost exclusively as an import from Europe, as the local grapes are not of high quality.

Ækkfævítt is imported from Norse Europe, and is definitely considered a delicacy. There is not much call for vodka or gin, given the ready availability of hwettjipæw as a neutral spirit.

Other intoxicants

Tobacco use is reasonably common, mostly in pipes but also in cigars and chewing tobacco.