Ahremian Cuisine

Ahremian Cuisine refers to the food eaten by the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Ahremia. The vast biomes of Ahremia and its many different cultures means that there is no one clear style of Ahremian cuisine, yet some general patterns may be established. The food of the country has evolved constantly since ancient times, and the current cuisine in the year 1527 SY represents only the conditions of the time.

## Agriculture

Ahremia has a mild climate which becomes slightly colder in the north. The staple crop throughout all of Ahremia is cereal grain, especially wheat and barley. The central province of Sectinia is commonly called "the breadbasket of Ahremia" due to its high concentration of farmland, which mostly grows grain.

Grain and breads is one of the most ancient food staples in Ahremia. Wild grains were first harvested in the Velosi Mountain foothills in west Ahremia, where they were baked on hot stones into primitive flatbreads. These flatbreads are sometimes still foraged and baked in rural communities, called *surui*, a name equally as ancient as the food itself. It was between about 400 NSY and 0 SY that grain production in Ahremia began to become commonplace. The Ahrem people, precussors of modern-day Ahremia, founded their kingdom near the modern city of Nazka. Within their kingdom they famously dedicated large swaths of land to grain production. So much so that the modern Ahremian word for a countryside village or hamlet, *rowerre* (row-wer) comes from a more ancient word that meant "place of grain (trade)".

However, it became apparent to Ahremians that the Ahrem lands were not the most ideal for grain agriculture in Ahremia. As the nomadic, mostly hunter-gatherer natives of Sectinia, the *Sectini*, migrated out of Sectinia and to Mercia, migrants began to fill up Sectinia. Sectinia became a region of peoples mostly hailing either from Southern Ahremia or from the very same lands the Sectini were invading. The latter, equipped with the skills to raise and harvest grain, began doing so in the Sectinian valley as early as 100 NSY. Grain culture in Ahremia took off after Sectinia became the central place for grain harvesting in Ahremia. By the time of the Empire of Exelon, about 900 SY, breads were the central component of nearly every diet in Ahremia. Despite this, other foods are also raised in Ahremia.

Dairy, from cows or goats, is common in the slightly more arid areas of Ahremia. Milk is used to make butter and cheese, although Ahremian cheese is famously bland by international standards. Nearly 80% of Ahremia's population is defined as peasants, and 90-95% live outside major cities, meaning that the money to raise and regularly slaughter animals is scant. Most Ahremian families have a modest collection of chickens and possibly pigs that live on their land, to provide eggs and to later slaughter. However, the limiting nature of this household livestock makes it necessary for specialized individuals who raise large quantities of livestock and slaughter and butcher them. Most Ahremian families will eat some sort of meat product at least once a day or every other day, usually in the form of fried pork or chicken, as well as sausage and bacon.

Vegetables also form a central piece of the Ahremian diet. Vegetables often originate from families' personal vegetable garden, although city-dwellers may buy them at markets. Household vegetable gardens commonly contain leek, potato, onion, and cabbage. In most homes, vegetables are grown in a small fenced plot right outside the home.

Fruit may be the most unrepresented of the major food groups in Ahremian cuisine. No significant domestic growing of fruits exists in Ahremia, say for maybe small orchards, usually ran on the properties of wealthy landowners. Most Ahremian villages include peddlers who forage for wild fruit, mainly blackberries, raspberries, wild strawberry, and occasionally plums. Fruits are, by the common household, generally eaten dried or in the form of butters/jams. Blackberry butter (or jam) is by far the most common. Wild nuts are also collected and sold in a similar manner.

## Meals

The exact timing and contents of meals vary in Ahremia, yet the common mealtime routines held by the average dwellers of north and central Ahremia remains relatively consistent.

Two meals are always eaten during the day. The first is eaten before the agricultural workday, after awakening. The meal usually includes a loaf of bread (baked in the morning by the woman of the house) that is then sliced and offered with butter. Wheat or barley cakes with vegetables baked in with them are also common. A seasoned collection of vegetables akin to a salad is also usually eaten. Depending on the time of year and wealth of the family, a snack of nuts and dried fruits may also be eaten. It is common for the women of the house to bake another portion of bread and wrap it for casual consumption during the workday.

The second meal is eaten after the workday ends, slightly before sundown. This meal includes another, larger portion of bread, along with some sort of stew, soup, or general vegetable portion. A portion of bacon, sausage, or occasionally pan-fried meat may be offered as well.

Water is drank with meals when clean sources can be found, and if not, alcohol (ale) is drank as a substitute. Milk is rarely drank as it is, but is still done occasionally. On rare occasions, usually at festivals, juice is produced and sold.