Sefdaanian Ethnography Chapter 6 - Food

General Information

• "Every culture tends to combine a small number of flavoring ingredients so frequently and consistently that they become definitive of that particular cuisine....It is these characteristic combinations of seasonings that clearly define each ethnic cuisine." - Elizabeth Rozin, Ethic Cuisine: The Flavor Principle Cookbook
• As each of the Loquent Peoples was created and they had settled in their respective ecosystems, each of the Peoples discovered the plants and animals that would best meet their needs. They investigated their assigned ecosystem to discover which plants grew best and which ones they preferred. Thus they created the flavor principles that best suited their temperament. This eventually gave rise to the special cuisines associated with each people.
• This does not mean that there is no sharing of dishes, but each people has some signature ingredients that they enjoy and which characterize their cuisines, in ways similar to the ways special ingredients characterize contemporary human cuisines. These signature ingredients comprise a group of three ingredients, a trinity (tirı̋ȝo), which are specific to the cuisine of each of the Six Peoples.
• Along with the special plant foods mentioned in the individual descriptions below, the following are available to all the Peoples:
  • Onions (kǫ̋rmi), garlic (ġa̋ngi), and ramsons (lęną̋li). Shallots were not part of the original food of the Peoples.
  • Other common vegetables are celery (selı̋ni), rhubarb (réuðselı̋ni), cabbage (kara̋mbi) and cucumbers (kı̋ki).
  • The following herbs and spices are available to all the Peoples: celery seed (sélinsę̋o), black mustard (ra̋ngi), white mustard (sina̋pi), capers (gőȝi), caraway (łęrsę̋i), cumin (gaműni), wild rosemary (dįgűpi), dittander (diɱe̋smi), lovage (ṭą́tode̋gi), oregano (ǧárluᵹsa̋mi), pepperwort (tįðsę̋i), Swiss stone pine (ṡűli), sage (tefva̋li), red clover (dőbi), and fenugreek (me̋nti).
  • The following potherbs (greens) (ðą̋los) are available in various places for salads: bracken (kaᵹpa̋rti), caraway (łęrsę̋i), celery (selı̋ni), chervil (nųvą̋li), cicely (šąðsűvi), common mallow (ma̋lǧi), common reed (þrűsi), cucumber (kı̋ki), dandelion (nűni), goat’s beard (kiþnı̋hi), black mustard (ra̋ngi), white mustard (sina̋pi), pennycress (lęfpą̋li), primrose (pűi), rampion (ɱįcűki), sorrel (sűǧi), stinging nettle (na̋ti), tansy (xulkı̋ci), verbena (ɱe̋rbi), wall lettuce (lósnanva̋li), and water fringe (losba̋li).

Basic Foods

The Ethrans

1. Staple crop. The Ethrans chose a grain, buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) (hőli), as the staple of their diet. Buckwheat figures in the morning meal as pancakes (raised or not) (įḷvőgo) or porridge (holkų̋zo) and in the evening meal as noodles (holpę̋lvo). The buckwheat starch is also made into a jelly, rather like tofu, which is served as a side dish. Buckwheat has a short growing season and two crops are harvested.
2. Root crop. The Ethrans do not really need a root crop to tide them through the winter. However, they enjoy carrots (mea̋ci) as part of their diet. They are served raw alone or in a salad, or cooked as a vegetable or in soups.
3. Protein. The Ethrans’ special protein source, both meat and eggs, is domestic greylag geese (ha̋nse). Game birds, caught by their gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus) (argı̋pe) for sport, are also enjoyed. Geese and game birds are most often served grilled or preserved in goose fat. A baked dish of goose and broad beans (Vicia faba) (va̋vi) is also a favorite. Goose liver is made into a pâté, flavored with goose fat, onion, garlic and fenugreek. This is frequently eaten spread on a pancake and rolled up.
4. Fat. For frying and for flavoring, rendered goose fat is used. Rose hip seed oil is also used in special dishes.
5. Fruit. They cultivate the dog rose (Rosa canina) (ɱɔ̋rdi) for its beauty, its fragrance, and its taste. The rose pervades the Ethran culture, appearing as the emblem of the Ethrans. When entering an Ethran citadel, one immediately notices the rose fragrance. The fruit of the rose, the hips (ɱǫrdǫ̋go), is a berry. They are cooked for various purposes; they can also be eaten raw. Rose hip soup is served on special occasions.
6. Savory spice. Crocuses (Crocus sativus) are grown for their saffron (árisa̋ni), their characteristic savory spice. The crocuses are grown in hothouses of the ðų̋nos.
7. Sweet spice. Rose flavor is the sweet spice.
8. Sweets. The Ethrans use honey (me̋lno) exclusively as a sweetener. There are hives (dę̋ȝo) for the production of honey. The buckwheat flowers have a pleasant sweet honey scent from which bees produce a dark, strong honey. The typical dessert is a custard (tǫlrűᵹmo) made from goose eggs, sweetened with honey and flavored with rose water, or unsweetened and topped with rose petal jam. The custard is baked in individual ramekins. As the only one of the People with access to snow and ice year-round, they also make a rose or saffron sorbet, usually served together to experience the sharp difference in flavor. Using very thin buckwheat noodles they make a frozen dessert called frozen noodles (ułpe̋lvo).
9. Vinegar. Their vinegar (sųrme̋ðo) is made from mead.

• The culinary trinity of the Ethrans is saffron, carrot and leek.
• In their mountain top citadels (ðűno) the Ethrans have many greenhouses (zɔðde̋mo) for growing the plants they eat.

The Pyrans

1. Staple crop. The Pyrans chose a grain, rye (Secale cereale) (rűgi), as the staple of their diet. Rye is made into a flour from which many types of bread are made, such as hardtack (lemðǫ̋no). There is also a flatbread (ruᵹk̬a̋zo) which is baked on the hot floor of the oven. Every meal is accompanied by rye bread in some form. Outside the da̋bo limits are the rye fields (ruᵹvą̋ȝo). There are two crops of rye annually. Autumn-sown rye is ready for harvesting by the summer solstice. Spring-sown rye is ready for harvesting by the autumnal equinox. Each householder’s alloted ryefield is surrounded by and divided in two by sloe hedges. The thorny hedges create a reindeer-proof barrier so that the reindeer do not have access to the other field of growing rye. After each harvest the reindeer are left to forage on the field residue. An added bonus is that the reindeer manure fertilizes the fields.
2. Root crop. The Pyrans grow parsnips (nı̋pi) for their winter meals. These can be eaten raw or boiled, but most of the time they are roasted. They are harvested after the autumn frosts, but before the snow comes. The leaves are either cooked or used as a salad green.
3. Protein. Although they occasionally eat venison, the Pyrans utilize their deer primarily for the milk which they use in the production of cheese (tų̋ro). Cheese constitutes a large part of their protein intake. They make a hard type (tįrtų̋ro) for grating and a soft type (maltų̋ro) for slicing and melting, but most of the milk is used to make a fresh cheese (ɱeztų̋ro). Excess whey (če̋lo) is used to make a curd (te̋nko) food. In the autumn, as the weather cools, the reindeer herds are culled, and the meat is dried for use during the winter. One of the fawns is set aside for the winter solstice festival (hémsuxsa̋rno). Each householder keeps a small flock of ducks for their eggs. These are domesticated ruddy shelducks (Tadorna ferruginea) (þ̇a̋xe). This species was chosen for domestication because of its orangish plumage. Reindeer are slaughtered to keep the herds manageable. The slaughtering takes place in the fall so that there are not too many reindeer to feed in the winter. Besides preparing the flesh for food, other parts of the body are used for food. The intestines are prepared as tripe or the membrane is used for making blood sausage. Rye is used as the filler for the sausage.
4. Fat. Deer milk is churned to make butter (ȝɔ̋lo) but it is never kept in this form. Instead, it is clarified so that it will have a long shelf-life. It needs no refrigeration if kept in an airtight container to prevent oxidation. This se̋lpo is ideal for frying because of its high smoking point. The remaining solids are a delicacy and are spread on rye bread.
5. Fruit. The Pyrans cultivate the sloeberry (Prunus spinosa) (ṡǫ̋fi) as their fruit of choice. Every house garden has a sloe tree which provides a readily accessible source of the sloe berries that they use for a number of purposes.
6. Savory spice. Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) (tőrbi) is the characteristic savory spice for the Children of Fire. The leaves add a bit of zing to a salad. Mixed with chopped hard-boiled egg and clarified butter, it is served at the vernal equinox festival (kíðpartɘsa̋rno).
7. Sweet spice. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) (maðűrki) is the sweet spice. Fennel is used in many ways and the anise-like flavor pervades the Pyran cuisine. The bulb is eaten raw or cooked in a variety of ways. The dried or fresh leaves and seeds are used to flavor dishes. When venison is used, it is most often in the form of a fennel-flavored sausage (máðurka̋ḷo).
8. Sweets. Every householder has a beehive in her garden. Sloe syrup is also used as a sweetener. The usual dessert is fennel-flavored or unflavored whey curd, topped with sloe syrup. The sloes are made into jam. Sweetened they are used as a pastry stuffing.
9. Vinegar. The Pyrans make their vinegar (sorče̋lo) from whey.

• The culinary trinity of the Pyrans is horseradish, onion and celery.
• The home gardens supply them with the vegetables they eat. Wild plants are gathered from the fields and river banks.

The Hydorans

1. Staple crop. The Hydorans chose a reed, the cattail (reedmace) (Typha latifolia) (kűrði), that grows so abundantly in their ecosystem, as the staple of their diet. The products of the cattail are a vital part of their diet. In the early spring, the new white stems can be picked and eaten fresh or cooked. The leaf bases can be eaten raw or cooked, especially in late spring when they are young and tender. In early summer the sheath can be removed from the developing green flower spike when about 4”-5” long, which can then be boiled and eaten like corn on the cob. In mid-summer when the male flowers are mature, the pollen can be collected and used as a flour supplement or thickener. Because of the many uses of the cattail, it figures prominently in their culture and is known as "the gift of Neerus" (nęrdǫ̋o) and is the emblem of the Hydorans.
2. Root crop. The starchy rhizomes of the cattail, gathered in the cold weather, fill the function of a root crop. They rhizomes are peeled and cooked like potatoes.
3. Protein. Their environment has determined the protein source of the Hydorans, water animals, mainly fish, frogs, and crayfish. They are especially fond of eel (ne̋mᵹ̇e). In the warm weather these meats are eaten raw. They are also pickled in a marinadge of vinegar and watercress. As the weather becomes colder, these meats are preserved by drying (mı̋mċo) for use during the cold weather. Any of these meats caught in the winter are grilled as oil is hard to come by and boiling uses more fuel. Fish roe, when available, is eaten either cooked or raw. The Hydorans also make a fish sauce (ga̋ro) from the intestines of the fish.
4. Fat. Cattail seeds can be expressed to obtain oil, although it is rather tedious work. A fish oil can be expressed from the flesh of young Wels catfish (Silurus glanis) (silőrse). Not only are the older fish less palatable, but they are also dangerous to people the size of the Hydorans. An adult Wels catfish can be upwards of five feet in length and weight as much as 140 lb., larger than any Hydoran.
5. Fruit. The cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos) (kite̋ṁi) is the favorite fruit of the Hydorans. The cranberry is the only plant that the Hydorans actively cultivate. When a new ną̋do is established, cranberry bushes are planted on the shore of the lake within easy access. The Hydorans make a cranberry relish.
6. Savory spice. Watercress (Nasturium officinale) (nerɱa̋ti) is used as a savory spice.
7. Sweet spice. Water mint (Mentha aquatica) (ɱeþƶe̋li), which grows profusely in water environments, is the characteristic sweet spice the Hydorans.
8. Sweets. Cattail root, crushed and boiled, yields a sweet syrup. The typical dessert is a dish of mashed cranberries, sweetened with mint-flavored cattail syrup.
9. Vinegar. The Hydorans make their vinegar (sų́rkite̋ṁo) from cranberries. It is used mainly to pickle fish.

• The culinary trinity of the Hydorans is watercress, duckweed (Wolffia arrhiza), and cattail root.
• A major portion of the vegetarian part of the diet consists of various species of freshwater algae.

The Humans

1. Staple crop. Humans chose a seed, lentils (Lens culinaris) (edą̋ki), with their distinctive earthy taste, as the staple of their diet. Although the lentils are used in soups and stews, they are primarily used to make lentil bread (édaxk̬a̋zo). The lentils are pulverized and water and salt are added to make the dough. This is then baked on a flat pan (ı̨̋ḷo) over the fire hole (ąþɱűło). The planting and harvesting of the lentils is the work of the women. Surrounding the ce̋imo are the lentil fields (édąxvą̋ȝo).
2. Root crop. The Humans cultivate beets (Beta vulgaris) (sı̨̋ri), as a supplement to the lentils, to see them through the winter. They may have chosen this root crop because of its deep red color. The harvested beets are stored in holes in the walls of the arge̋ḷo and will last through the winter. The root is roasted and eaten either warm as a vegetable or shredded and cold in a salad. Some of the beets are pickled. Beet leaves may be eaten raw in a salad or cooked.
3. Protein. Game taken ahorse is the main source of the Humans' protein, especially with the aid of their golden eagles (műire), although horse flesh is eaten as needed to keep the herds manageable. One foal is set aside for the midwinter festival. In the spring, the eggs of partridge, grouse and pheasant are collected. A nest is never left totally empty. Eggs marinated in pickled beet juice (sųrtǫ̋lo) are a delicacy. When herding the horses on the steppes, the men take with them smoked meat and édaxk̬a̋zo. Mare's milk is always available. Horses are slaughtered to keep the herds manageable. The slaughtering takes place in the fall so that there are not too many horses to feed in the winter. Besides preparing the flesh for food, other parts of the body are used for food. The intestines are prepared as tripe or the membrane is used for making blood sausage. Lentils are used as the filler for the sausage.
4. Fat. The springtime proliferation of poppies (Papaver rhoeas) (mąke̋ni) enables the Humans to harvest the seeds from which they express poppy seed oil.
5. Fruit. The cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera) (lı̨̋ɱki) is the fruit of choice of the Humans. The plums are picked at the end of autumn (7/23-9/22).
6. Savory spice. Wild basil (Ocimum basilicum) (tula̋si) is the savory spice that flavors their meat dishes. A basil/vinegar sauce is made from fresh basil for use in the winter.
7. Sweet spice. Poppy seeds are used for the sweet spice. The leaves are either cooked or used in a salad.
8. Sweets. Distillation of the petals of the poppy produces a sweet red syrup. Sweet desserts are flavored with poppy seed. When served as a dessert the į́łedą̋ki or músedą̋ki batter is sweetened with poppy syrup and the cakes are rolled in poppy seeds or spread with cherry plum jam.
9. Vinegar. The vinegar is made from cherry plum juice (sųrlı̋ɱko).

• The culinary trinity is poppy seed, basil and onion.
• Their gardens supply them with the vegetables they eat. Wild plants are gathered as needed from the steppes.

The Xylans

1. Staple crop. The Xylans are vegetarians. They chose a nut, the acorn (me̋ðto), the fruit of the ubiquitous oak trees, especially of Quercus robur, as the primary staple of their diet. The tannins present in acorns do not affect the Xylans and they seldom leach the acorns. Other nuts (sı̋co) are also used. They make a jelly from acorns. It is made unsweetened and flavored with juniper, then served with an assortment of cooked vegetables.
2. Root crop. The Xylans have no need for a root crop, since the nuts store well through the winter.
3. Protein. These various nutmeats (sice̋do) constitute their primary source of protein. They also harvest morels in their forests.
4. Fat. The Xylans seldom cook their food and so have little need for culinary fat. Plenty of dietary fat is obtained from nut meats. However, when oil is needed, the Xylans press acorns and other nut kernels, especially the hazelnut (Corylus avellana) (kősli) to obtain cooking oil.
5. Fruit. The Xylans enjoy the wild cherry (Prunus avium) (kɔ̋ni) as their favorite fruit. An edible gum is obtained from the wounded bark, although a Xylan would not wound a tree deliberately.
6. Savory spice. The fruit of the juniper (Juniperus communis) (ele̋ni) serves as the Xylans' savory spice.
7. Sweet spice. Wild angelica (Angelica sylvestris) (cunðőni), with its licorice-like flavor, candied in a tree sap sugar is their favorite sweet.
8. Sweets. Tree sap, especially that of the various species of maple tree, is used as a sweetener either in liquid form or crystallized. Peeled stalks of angelica (Angelica sylvestris) (če̋nði) are crystallised in sugar and used as a sweet. The stems are best harvested in the spring. The acorn jelly is sweetened with sap and mixed with bits of cherries and crushed nuts before gelling.
9. Vinegar. They make their vinegar from tree sap (sųrpı̨̋to). Most of the time they flavor it with juniper.

• They also have access to all sorts of fruits, leaves, etc., in their forests.
• The culinary trinity is juniper, garlic, and onion.

The Lithans

1. Staple crop. The Lithans chose hemp seed (Cannabis sativa) (kana̋pi) as the staple of their diet. This they make into an unleavened bread. Hemp seeds can be eaten raw or sprouted. They can be parched and eaten as a condiment or made into cakes and fried. The fresh leaves can also be consumed in salads or cooked.
2. Staple root. The Lithans discovered that mushrooms would flourish in their caves and mines and they developed varieties of many sizes, colors and flavors. These they grow in place of a root crop. The mushrooms are dried for use throughout the winter.
3. Protein. Although the mushrooms are a source of protein, they obtain animal protein from the occasional slaughter of a tur or yak. A yak calf is set aside for the winter solstice festival. In the spring, wild bird eggs are collected. Cheese is made from yak milk. Each householder keeps a small flock of domesticated hazel grouse (Testrastes bonasia) (ere̋mbe) for their eggs. Turs and yaks are slaughtered to keep the herds manageable. The slaughtering takes place in the fall so that there are not too many to feed in the winter. Besides preparing the flesh for food, other parts of the body are used for food. The intestines are prepared as tripe or the membrane is used for making blood sausage. Hemp flour is used as the filler for the sausage.
4. Fat. The Lithans press oil from the hemp seeds. Butter is made from yak milk.
5. Fruit. The Lithans enjoy the apple (Malus seviersii) (abe̋li) as their favorite fruit.
6. Savory spice. The caper berry (Capparis spinosa) (gőȝi) is the characteristic savory spice. The flower buds are pickled and used as a flavoring in soups, sauces and salads. The young fruits and tender branch tips are pickled and used as a condiment. The flower buds are harvested in the early morning and wilted before pickling in salt and/or vinegar.
7. Sweet spice. Sweet violet (Viola odorata) (ṡűmi) is the Lithans’ favorite sweet spice. The plant is an excellent ground cover and the householder surrounds her home with these flowers. Available all through the winter, its young leaves and flower buds may be eaten raw or cooked. The leaves have a very mild flavor and make a very good salad, together with the flowers and other greens. The leaves contain a soothing mucilage and, when added to soup, thicken it in much the same way as okra. The fresh flowers are used to flavor and/or decorate puddings and other desserts. Coincidentally, although this plant can have either purple or white flowers, only the purple ones are used by the Lithans. Purple is the Lithans’ color.
8. Sweets. Hemp syrup and violet syrup ares used as sweeteners.
9. Vinegar. They make cider vinegar from apple juice (sų́rabe̋lo). Pickled mushrooms are a specialty.

• The culinary trinity is capers, garlic, and onion.
• The Lithans also have gardens which provide them with the vegetables they enjoy.

Basic beverages

The Ethrans

• Each of the citadels grows a particular flower from which they make both hot and cold beverages.
  • Red clover citadel
  • Rose citadel
  • Columbine citadel
  • Primose citadel
  • Violet citadel
  • Lavender citadel
• Alcoholic beverages
  • The Ethrans brew an alcoholic beverage known as mead (me̋ð̬o). This mead is flavored with their special flower.
  • They make a liqueur from the petals (ṭąþsőgo).
  • They make a sweet from the petals wine (ɱe̋ino).
  • Their beer is made from buckwheat (holsa̋xo).
• Tisanes.
  • The Ethrans of each citadel make a tisane (de̋po) from their special flowers as their hot beverage of choice.
  • And this tea can be chilled, and perhaps sweetened, for a refreshing cold beverage.

The Pyrans

• Alcoholic beverages
  • The Pyrans brew rye beer (ruᵹsa̋xo), using rye bread and not malt.
  • They make a liqueur from sloe berries (ṡǫ́fṭąþsőgo).
  • However, the most common drink is kvass (k̬aþrűgo), made from fermented rye bread, although the ABV is only about 1%.
• Tisanes.
  • A hot tisane is made from the sloe berries.
  • A chilled sloe tisane is drunk as a cold beverage.

The Hydorans

• Alcoholic beverages
  • The Hydorans make a fruit wine (kítemïɱe̋ino) from cranberries.
• Tisanes.
  • Mint tisane is their hot beverage of choice.
  • A cooled mint tisane is drunk as a cold beverage.

The Humans.

• Alcoholic beverages
  • The Humans make a fermented beverage from mare's milk (giba̋iro).
• Other.
  • The cherry plum is used to prepare a cold beverage, either the juice by itself or as an ade.
  • The Humans drink mare's milk as a hot beverage. In the spring, when eggs are available, an eggnog is made, sweetened with poppy syrup.

The Xylans.

• Alcoholic beverages
  • The Xylans make a beer from the needles of evergreens, especially of the spruce (élensa̋xo).
• Tisanes.
  • The acorn, when dried and powdered and, in this case, leached, is used to brew a hot beverage similar to coffee.
  • They also brew a spicy tea from juniper berries.
• Other.
  • The Xylans make a cold beverage from the sap of various trees, most especially the silver birch (Betula pendula) (verᵹëpőȝo).

The Lithans

• Alcoholic beverages.
  • The Lithans make their beer from hemp (kánafsa̋xo).
  • The Lithans also make an apple cider (k̬asábelpőȝo).
• Tisanes.
  • They drink a hot tisane made from sweet violet flowers and/or leaves (ṡumde̋po), sweetened or not with honey.
  • The same is drunk as a cold tisane, sweetened or not with honey.

Meals

• All the Peoples, but the Xylans, eat two meals a day. Breakfast (ąȝe̋do) is eaten shortly after sunrise. Supper (dőrk̬o) is eaten just before sunset. These times take full advantage of daylight for work. The Xylans eat whenever they want.

The Hydorans

• The Hydorans eat while seated on the floor. A rush mat is set before each of them on which are placed the various dishes of the meal. The Hydorans seldom use table utensils except for a spoon. The main dinner food is fish served in a variety of ways, perhaps grilled or, more typically, in a kind of chowder (dűᵹo) or bouillabaise (hence the spoon). This is eaten with cattail bread (kurðǫ̋no) made from cattail flour.

The Humans

• The Humans eat while seated on the floor around a wooden table. A knife, fork and spoon are the utensils used. The typical meal consists of some cut of grilled meat, either horse or game. Lentil cakes are served, perhaps with a basil sauce. This is accompanied by an assortment of vegetables, raw or cooked. There may be fresh cheese made from mare’s milk.

The Xylans

• The Xylans are vegetarians who live isolated lives so their dining habits are individual. They eat sitting, standing, walking. They use whatever utensils are needed. Their jaws are powerful enough to crack open acorns. A good portion of their food is eaten raw.

The Lithans

• The Lithans eat much like the other familial Peoples, on chairs at a table. A knife, fork and spoon are the utensils used. The typical meal consists of a mushroom stew, often supplemented with hare or even yak or tur meat. Hemp bread accompanies the meal. This is accompanied by an assortment of vegetables.