Inecurian Cuisine

**Inecurian Cuisine** - the foods, eating habits and cooking methods of Inecurians - differs substantially between regions and between time periods, but there are numerous identifiable common trends, and the highly diverse culinary traditions of the continent grew somewhat closer over time due to centuries of unification under the Nesarian Empire. This article for the most part discusses pre-modern Inecurian cuisine.

For most of Inecurian history, the key staple across all nations and all classes was cereal grains. In most of the continent, this was comprised of barley, rye, oats, wheat and strangewheat. However, rice was (and remains) commonplace in Kalzuranur, and it was (and, again, remains) the dominant cereal grain in Chalparna and Onshitama. These grains were consumed as bread, biscuits, porridge, gruel, pasta and noodles by all classes, with the latter two becoming notably more widespread with the expansion of Imperial rule; the Nesarians, as the inventors of Inecurian pasta, brought it with them to all corners of the continent and similarly adored Onshian noodles.

The Kuahi jungle hosts an indigenous species of maize and a pseudocereal similar to amaranth, but even in the modern day these have generally not caught on outside of Kuateoha; though maize is produced outside of the country in modern times, it is chiefly foreign sweetcorn and is generally not a staple part of any diet.

Inecurian potatoes are native to western Raskev and were only eaten locally until the 1st century BC, when they began to be grown en masse in Saveria due to the low surface area requirement of the crop. The Saverian Elves slowly spread potatoes to the rest of the south, and potatoes were brought to Nesaria in the 3rd century AD as a response to widespread cereal crop failure in the Upperlands. However, the potato would explode in popularity during the Time of Troubles, as the mass movement of soldiers introduced more people to the vegetable and it was frequently grown in the place of destroyed farms; Emperor Amelos actively promoted the planting of potatoes in war-ravaged regions in the wake of the conflict. By the turn of the 11th century AD, the potato had joined cereal grains as a staple in eastern and southern Inecuria, but it would not become commonplace in the west until the 18th century.

Fruits and vegetables were crucial supplements for all classes, but many vegetables - particularly taproots such as turnips, parsnips and carrots - were frequently disdained as peasant food across many cultures and were generally not eaten by the wealthy. Eggs were also eaten by all classes, especially in regions that maintained herds of Trihorns, though the perception of when and where it was proper to eat eggs could shift substantially; peasantry frequently ate eggs for lunch or dinner, but aristocrats often considered eggs to specifically be a breakfast food. Dairy - mostly cheese and butter, but also yoghurt across the north - has also always featured prominently in almost all nations of the continent outside of Kuateoha. As a result, the Nesarian Empire has the highest prevalence of lactose tolerance in the world, with only approximately 2-3% of the populace being lactose intolerant, most of whom are Kuahi.

As with other pre-modern societies, historically meat was typically only consumed on a regular basis by the wealthy or by the butchers who prepared it; across most cultures, peasant households generally did not enjoy meat more than once a week. Whilst aristocrats were served meat multiple times a week, the majority of their diet still consisted of grains, vegetables, fruits and - later - potatoes. Fish was commonly served in areas with access to it, though certain countries were (and still are) especially renowned for their consumption of all kinds of marine animals, such as Onshitama and Saveria.

Prior to the unification of the continent, the availability of spices and seasonings was extremely uneven across regions and classes, but spices flowed far more freely across the land when the Empire reduced barriers to trade and established the Windways for long-distance land transport. However, it would nonetheless take centuries for the spice trade to develop sufficient economies of scale for spices to become readily available to the peasantry. In Chalparna, a key spice producer, all classes generally had access to most kinds of spices, but in some spice-importing countries - such as Avamorica and Nesaria - spices were solely reserved for the wealthy aristocracy until well into the 12th century AD.

## Common Ingredients

### Pasta and Noodles

Two staple ingredients of a great many dishes across the Empire are pasta and noodles, which appear to varying degrees in every single nation of the continent.

Pasta is thought to have originated in Savetta in Nesaria, and in Nesarian it is called *gonera* (plural *gonere*), which literally means "slim wheat". *Gonera* is produced using a selectively bred species of wheat named *nesri* very similar to durum, which is suitable for *gonera* but unsuitable for bread. *Gonera* is boiled in salty water (typically saltier than is usual for Italian-style pasta) before being drained, and then the sauce is added. There are many shapes of *gonera*, but the most common by a significant margin is *galva*, which is long and thin with an elliptical cross-section, similar to linguine. *Gonera* is served with a great variety of different sauces, frequently with vegetables and/or meat.

Noodles, on the other hand, originated from Onshi, where they are called *nina* (the singular and plural forms are the same), though the dialect in Okido calls it *nana*. *Nina* may be made from wheat (*ninakasu*), rice (*ninakeni*) or egg (*ninatado*). Like *gonera*, *nina* can come in many different shapes, but the two most common are round and thin (*ewake*) and flat and wide (*amawe*). *Nina* is generally served either in a broth or soup or as part of a stir fry.

The main distinction between *gonera* and *nina* is not only the material it is made from (exclusively *nesri* wheat for *gonera*, but either wheat, rice or egg for *nina*) but also the manner of serving it; *gonera* is only ever served with a sauce, whereas *nina* can be served in a soup, broth or stir fry.

### Dairy

Inecurians as a whole are great lovers of dairy, and the overwhelming majority of the population in all countries has developed lactose tolerance over their millennia of milk consumption. Consumption of liquid milk has only become widespread with the advent of refrigeration technology, but other dairy products have always enjoyed a prominent place in Inecurian cuisine; most notably cheese, which is eaten all over the continent, but also butter (mainly in the east and south), cream (mainly in the south) and yoghurt (mainly in the north).

### Potatoes

Inecurian potatoes are a species of potato endemic to Inecuria, which originated in western Raskev but has become an integral part of cuisines across the continent. Inecurian potatoes are similar to new world potatoes, but have a notably higher fat content and are significantly more toxic if eaten raw - though the toxin is easily destroyed by cooking.

Some variants of Inecurian potato have been selectively bred specifically for their fat content, which are used to make oven chips; these typically have so much natural fat that no additional oil needs to be added to crisp the surface. Though they are excellent for chips, they are generally considered to be too fatty for roasting or baking whole, and totally unsuitable for boiling.

### Tomatoes

Inecurian tomatoes originate in Roulonne, but consumption of them has become widespread across Inecuria, including in countries where the climate is unsuitable for growing them and they have to be imported. Compared to tomatoes found elsewhere, Inecurian tomatoes have a slightly higher sugar content and have fewer but larger seeds. They have a long and relatively thin shape, somewhat reminiscent of chili peppers, rather than the round shape of typical tomato species.

## Barbecue (*Tuluwena*)

Barbecue - more properly *Tuluwena*, or its Elvic corruption *Toluena* - originated in Keloruela, but became popular across Inecuria beginning in around the 5th-6th century AD. Although many nations besides Keloruela are now known for their barbecue, or have culinary traditions inspired by barbecue - the most prominent being Epsilucia, Chalparna and Raskev in Asmukhar - original Ruawi barbecue (*Tuluwena Ruawi*) is to this day considered to be the best.

Specifically, *Tuluwena* refers to seasoned meat that has been smoked over a pit with a wood-fuelled fire; under Imperial Law, meat that has not been smoked in this way cannot be labelled as *Toluena* or *Tuluwena*, but merely as "smoked meat". The meat usually comes with a sauce, which may simply be drizzled on top, or may be used to marinate or baste the meat. The ingredients of *Tuluwena* sauce vary, but typically include tomato paste, vinegar, onion powder, spices such as pepper, mustard, paprika and nutmeg, and a sweetner such as sugar, black treacle (molasses) or syrup. The meat used in *Tuluwena* varies, but is typically pork, mutton or Trihorn. In Chalparna, beef is the primary meat, and venison is most common in Epsilucia. Barbecued fish is fairly popular in Raskev, but is rare elsewhere, and the only seafood the Ruawis themselves cook with this method is freshwater lobsters from the Diamond River.

*Tulukaale* (Elvic corruption: *Tolucala*) refers to meat that is seasoned in a similar way, but is grilled rather than smoked. *Tulukaale* is generally less popular than *Tuluwena*, and is primarily enjoyed in Chalparna and Keloruela itself.

*Tuluwena* and *Tulukaale* are similar to, but are not to be confused with, the Mortian culinary tradition of smoked meats. Mortian smoked meat makes use of distinctly different seasonings, and places far less emphasis on the sauce, if it has one at all. Mortians also frequently make their smoked meats into sausages, or smoke the sausage itself, which is a practice not found in traditional Ruawi cuisine.