Vht'shjenjé cuisine

The state of Vht'shjenjé encompasses a broad variety of lifestyles and social groups, many of which having their own distinct palates that has influenced their culinary traditions. The Iron Desert is an unfertile region, however, so food is sparse and the cuisine is characteristic for creative use for whatever is available. That said, however, there is an exquisite court cuisine based around the city of Varvardnársh that frequently relies on rare and pricy ingredients, often imported from the west or the far south. 
Almost all food is also prepared in consideration to Scorched medicinal blood theory , where different types of food have their own blood types which may stabilise or upset the blood balance in the body. This theory long predates the Shadowborn civilisation and was already established in the Mír region in the Primordial Age.
The nomadic portion of society, that lives on the surface, comprise the majority of the population and subside on a diet of meat and dairy. The most common meats consumed are camel, sheep and game. Horses are sometimes consumed but are generally considered precious animals unfit for consumption.
==Cuisine of Varvardnársh==
The city of Varvardnársh is the spiritual and political heart of the Shadowborn civilisation; it began here and expanded outwards. The cuisine in this region is thus the oldest and most refined and thoroughly associated with urban life. Varvardnársh is perhaps the only place in the Shadowborn world where meat is not the most important foodstuff. Fish and insects are instead the most commonly consumed sources of protein, with mushrooms, seaweeds and herbs being nearly the only vegetables available. The latter is a common seasoning, often slightly bitter in flavour which is quite characteristic of the cuisine of Varvardnársh. The city is also the largest consumer of imported goods, so grain-based foods imported from the west are also common enough for most people to afford on a fairly regular basis. Fresh meat is uncommon but preserved meats like sausages and jerky are a common sight in the marketplaces.
The staple food in  is a bowl of broth called S'ykh. Unlike most other places, the people of Varvardnársh will generally make it from boiled offals and bones from fish and seafood. Along with this broth are a row of communal bowls with ingredients to reinforce this hot broth, often dried pieces of fish, kelp or mushroom, where each diner picks the ingredients of their own choosing.
S'ykh is individually consumed but most other dishes are communal. Fish, mushrooms and seaweed are consumed almost daily. A popular way to serve fish is to steam it whole with herbs and mushrooms, sometimes other ingredients is stuffed inside the fish to be cooked in its juices. Insects are almost always prepared with fire; toasted, grilled or fried in fat to remove its "blood-blackening" medicinal properties. Generally they are served whole on a platter with salt, or crushed into a paste and used as a seasoning, especially for vegetables that are considered medicinally "blood-thinning".
Flour-based dishes aren't overly common but due to the lack of leavening agents it is usually made into flatbreads. They are very popular but expensive and thus mainly consumed at festive occasions, stuffed with various fillings and rolled up to be eaten with the hands. Cutting up leftover flatbread into slivers and sauteeing them with meats and herbs creates a dish called Njeshíl and is almost as popular as the flatbreads themselves. Leftover flour is often rolled into little balls and put in the piping-hot S'ykh where they are cooked into little dumplings.
There is a small quantity of fruit grown in the city but is generally a luxury item, especially if consumed fresh. The fruits are mostly native to the Iron Desert and quite unlike anything seen outside. A kind of red berry growing on a black bush in the desert is quite common and is often dried. There is also a kind of purple fruit, reminiscent of mango, called Shtatrjév which is consumed fresh or mashed into a pulp. A very expensive delicacy is Shtatrjév mixed with crushed ice from underground cold caves, sugar and wine into a dessert similar to sherbet. There are entire poems dedicated solely to the sensation of eating icy cold Shtatrjév. 
==Beverages==
Among the nomads of the desert, water is almost the most prized beverage of all and what little there is to be found is instead given to the camels. Camel milk is by far the most important beverage for the nomads, and sometimes it is the only food they consume at all. The milk is drunk fresh or curdled into yoghurt which can be kept for longer periods of time. 
The city-dwellers of the underground have a far larger variety of beverages available from them. Yoghurt-based drinks are common here also, brought from the surface. It is appreciated both diluted with water or fermented into an alcoholic drink. The most appreciated alcoholic beverage of all is Nevár, a drink made from imported honey. Golden in colour, sweet and potent, it is the lifeblood of the poet class but can be quite expensive. 
A peculiar Shadowborn custom is the recreational consumption of poisons. A special cocktail of venoms from various creatures, mixed and specially prepared, is served at wine-houses in a characteristic bottle only used for this purpose. The poison relaxed the body and brings a feeling of numbness but keeps the mind clear. Physical effort such as movement requires twice the effort and almost brings the illusion of your body being slowed down. Artisans often use this toxin to grant them the ability to do very minute work as it elminates the risk of twitching or sudden movement. The toxin is always served with a seconary bottle, also specifically shaped, containing an antidote which is consumed at a certain time to prevent the toxin from causing damage.
==Dining culture==
The Shadowborn people value refinement and artistry in just about anything they do and eating, being an essential part of life, is not exception.  Dining customs in the Iron Desert are quite refined and the customs from Varvardnársh are the most influential ones. Generally, it is customary to eat very small portions but in larger numbers. Very lavish feasts can comprise of dozens of dishes, each served individually on fine tableware made from insect-chitin, faience, metal, pottery or glass. Dry foods are sometimes served on pieces of cloth. Bowls are generally specifically designed to be in harmony with a particular foodstuff, where the design, material and shape all must be taken into consideration. For example, being served fish on a glass platter could be seen as highly distasteful or even insulting to the diner. The reasons are many and complex but a cultivated person is expected to understand.
Most dishes are prepared so that there is no need for cutlery. However, touching food with your hands is impolite and a special piece of cloth is employed for this purpose. Meat and fish dishes are generally carved up before or just as they are served. The individual diner picks up his piece of food with the cloth, applies seasoning as applicable from a communal bowl and then eats. Usually a diner will have their own small tray for setting down food, as well as an individual soup bowl. The most lavish meals are served on individual small tables and thus there are no communal bowls at all.
It is considered the acme of refinement to finish the meal with your hand-cloth still clean, though in practice this is nearly impossible to achieve. Leftover foods and spills are highly frowned upon; especially a guest being bestowed hospitality should not insult their hosts in this fashion.
The use of hand-cloths and the general fashion of serving dishes is generally uniform throughout the Shadowborn world, but the dishes prepared and the amount of courtesy expected from the diners will vary considerably on circumstances.
Category:Vht'shjenjé
Category:Culture