Food of the Seven Kingdoms (Evandar)

 In my world building, I have thought a lot about food. It may seem silly to some authors and more than a few readers to spend my time thinking about what someone eats in a fantasy setting. Honestly, I didn't start out thinking about what my characters ate. At first, I just didn't consider it important. All it was to me at that time was background color for the story.

After all, I wasn't writing a cookbook. Then, as time went on and I looked at the fiction I had read and enjoyed, I realized that truly immersive settings were what I deeply enjoyed. These stories gave the characters greater depth and realism through the inclusion of daily activities. I have attempted to emulate these techniques in my writing. You can see a progression through the books that I have out as I included more details about the world.

I really think that it is forcing me to grow as an author. Asking questions about regional differences in the Seven Kingdoms lead to my describing clothing and climate. Then I found myself thinking no one in these stories sits down and eats. You have to eat to survive. I tried to put more scenes about food into my books. I don't think I've been as successful at that as I'd like to be. I acknowledge in some cases, it comes off as contrived and rather forced.

But, as I look at it all, I think about what the different regions have in common and what is unique to each one. I also have been thinking a lot about food because of my diabetes. Somehow, this turned into my questioning what food is popular in what region, what food is most common, and what do they use to season it. At one point, I started working on posting recipes that would have been served in the world of Evandar. 

I am going to pick that thread up again after some experimentation in the kitchen and a deep dive into the kinds of food you can find in our world. Research and experimentation is what promises to make a recipe work. It is my hope that I will stumble on to things that my kids will enjoy because they're picky eaters. I also hope that I will eventually have recipes that literally add flavor to what I'm writing. It's a tricky part of worldbuilding that most authors don't get to. I think, however, I am up for the challenge. Who knows, maybe a cookbook will come out of this fantasy series after all. Wouldn't that be funny?

Evandari Seed Bread.

Photo from Pexels.com

The people of Evandar in the northern kingdoms have less access to wheat. They use seeds and nuts as the basis of their bread in many cases. This can result in a bread that is much like maslin bread where there is access to wheat or barley. It can also result in a bread similar to what people in northern Europe had during the late Paleolithic period.

Evandari cuisine is varied but they each have their staple dishes for the general region. Seed bread is one that can be found on the tables of any of the northern kingdoms and the northern regions of the central region. The wealthy stud theirs with dried fruit and spices. The poor just use what ever they can find in it.

Here is an approximation of Evandari Seed bread.

3 cups of coarsely chopped mixed nuts and seeds (ie: hazelnuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds).
5 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt

Beat eggs until well combined. Fold eggs into nuts with oil and salt. Turn into a parchment lined pan. Bake at 325 degrees for an hour. Cool in the pan and turn out when room temperature. When cool, slice and serve with jam.

Food of Evandar: Roast fowl with Herbs

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It has been a while since I posted any sort of recipe. It is also a day where, at my house, we are dealing with a snow storm and I am interested in not making a whole lot of pots to wash even as the kids want to help cook. After a little consideration, I realized that what I am making for dinner would be rather common fare in parts of my little world.

Now the name of this recipe is an indication of how common it is. It is, however, a little bit deceptive. In the middle ages in our world, herbs was used as a general term for all parts of a plant and pretty much all manner of plant. It was applied to what we consider vegetables, herbs, and fruit.

The recipe itself is exceptionally simple. I am making a relatively small portion here because I have a household of four people (which has two children who are somewhat picky eaters on a regular basis). It is possible to do this with a whole bird. I, however, am using two chicken quarters cut into pieces with enough chopped vegetables to fill a 12 in cast iron skillet. My 'herbs' here are potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots, and radishes. If you were making something that reflected the Middle Ages of our world, the potatoes and sweet potatoes would not be part of this because they didn't come into European cuisine until the Renaissance period. (This is because they are native to the New World, along with corn, modern squash, and tomatoes.)

In my little world, the variety of root vegetables used is pretty close to what you would expect for medieval Europe. They would also include tubers like cattail roots and the more exotic plants native to the world. Lower class people would be having this simple meal with a dash of what ever savory herbs they had collected in the wild (such as dill or fireweed). The upper classes would include more exotic things to their region. Thus, it could have peppercorns, salt, or cinnamon in it. The dish consists of a cleaned bird flattened and roasted upon a bed of root vegetables with spices mixed into the vegetables and upon the bird. The bird would have butter rubbed on it and the root vegetables would be mixed with a portion of oil sufficient to coat them and enough water to keep them from burning to the pan.

The pan would then be covered and cooked at a moderate temperature until the bird was cooked fully. For our purposes, this would be approximately an hour at 350 degrees F. When I added oil to the vegetables, I tossed them with it and some pepper, salt, thyme, and paprika. I then added approximately a cup of water. The chicken was set upon the vegetables. I spread about a tablespoon of butter over all four pieces of chicken. It is probably a little excessive, but I'm not going to deny myself a little luxury after a long day with two boys having a snow day from school. I put the salt, pepper, and thyme on the chicken. I also added garlic instead of paprika.

I covered my pan with aluminum foil because the pot lid that fit it would not cover the pot completely with the chicken in the pan. You want to make sure that your chicken and meat combination is well covered so that the steam from everything helps cook it more completely. When finished, you would serve the chicken with the tender veggies along side. I am also going to be making a loaf of soda bread to go with it. I haven't decided yet if soda bread is a common thing or not, but in the world of Evandar, a loaf of bread would be served with this, as with any meal.

Given the heaviness of the root vegetables, you could do well to serve this with a hard cider. You could also do well to replace the water in this recipe with chicken broth or hard cider. I'm sure that you would get a good result from adding onions to the mix. (I was going to put onion in but then discovered that my onion had gone bad in the depths of the refrigerator sometime last week.)

Food of Evandar: Nine Day Porridge.

Something from my kitchen: Chickpea-Red Lentil Chili

Pease porridge hot,
Pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot
Nine days old.
~ English Nursery Rhyme

In the old days of merry old England, peas were known as pease. They were used to make, among other things, porridge. Now, most people today think that porridge is another word for oatmeal. This is fairly accurate in a historical sense, but it doesn't really cover just what the deal with this food was. Please forgive me as I indulge in a bit of history about pease and porridge.

Porridge was the common man's fare. It was also the food of the elite. The difference between the two dishes was the quality of the ingredients and spices used. Porridge was a very simple dish to begin with. That thick gruel that people think of when they think of this food is pretty close to the most basic version. It was not always the consistency of wall paper paste. It was prepared by cooking oats or barley with some sort of liquid. During the cooking process, the dry grain would absorb the liquid and become more palatable (and less likely to cause you to have problems with gas).

This dish could also be prepared with dried beans and legumes (peas, lentils, etc.). In both cases, it was a slow cooking time. It was the one thing for the day, in many cases. One would eat porridge for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, if they had enough that is. It was usually made with a mixture of beer and broth. Water was not generally used because it was not frequently enough to be spared from other important tasks (like watering crops and keeping livestock alive). Like maslin bread (which I will be posting about next week after I finish my research as to a proper recipe and potential experimentation with said recipe), porridge usually was a mixture of what was on hand. It was also something that was kept on the fire and added to each day as needed.

That porridge from the first day may have started out heavy on the barley, root vegetables, and some fish caught from a local stream in a weak beer base. The second day may see more root vegetables added, milk (if it were in season), and some herbs that were from the kitchen garden. The third day may find mushrooms (if it were in season) and bones from the mutton that was cooked alongside it. Similar things would continue, supplementing the dwindling supply from the original batch made until you had something entirely different several days later. This practice of adding new ingredients as the time went on would have added depth of flavor and served to make it remain an interesting meal.

If the idea of keeping essentially the same batch of food cooking over an extended period of time sounds a little curious to you and you think it is something of the dark ages, you would be woefully incorrect. There are cooks who do this with soup. Not just people who are trying to squeeze every last penny out of their food budget mind you. (Though this thrifty practice is what made things like the continual pot of soup on the stove able to turn stuff like cheese rinds and carrot tops into edible components during the Great Depression.) It is also done in several very high end eateries.

Nine Day Porridge doesn't have to be something you fashion over the course of nine days. If you are in a hurry and want that complex flavor in one day, try out the following. And if you have leftovers, don't toss them. Just put them in the next pot of soup to help make it richer.

Nine Day Porridge: Quick Version

Ingredients:
1 15 oz can of navy beans
1 15 oz can of chili (with or with out beans)
1 15 oz can of split pea soup (plus 1 can of water)
1 medium carrot, chopped roughly
1 small potato, chopped roughly
1/2 cup of diced cooked ham
1/2 cup of diced cooked chicken
1 tsp of your favorite spice blend (I like the Mrs Dash with garlic in it.)

In a dutch oven, mix your ingredients. Cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, until heated through. If you wish to convert this to a crock pot recipe, use a large crock pot. Cook on low heat for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Add an additional can of water.

Serve this with fresh bread. Something like a dark German rye bread would be somewhat similar to what people in Evandar (or in the middle ages) would have eaten if they were in the middle class. A rustic wheat sourdough loaf with white flour would have been more like what the upper class would have had. Your beverage would be hard cider or beer. Given the flavors with this, I would lean towards beer.

Food of Evandar: Journey Bread

The journey bread that is carried by travelers is based upon hardtack. Some journey bread had spices mixed into it prior to baking. It was generally reserved for the upper class. The hardtack that was carried for nobles was impressed with the crest of their house. The recipe given on The American Table is an excellent example of how hardtack is made. Just as in the history of our world, journey bread has been in use since antiquity.

Where hardtack is generally a pale cream color with a bit of browning from baking, journey bread is the color of cornbread. In place of sugar that is used in many recipes, honey is added. In the case of the recipe from The American Table, I would add a few tablespoons of liquid honey and reduce the amount of water added so that the dough was still the proper texture. The spices added varied from region to region.

Perhaps the most common is fireweed. The less potent spices imported from other regions are much like those of our world. Thus, cinnamon is known by the wealthy of Evandar, for example. While one may not want to put the combination of powdered chili pepper and cinnamon into their journey bread, cinnamon by itself would work well. Ginger is also used. Ginger is a popular spice in Evandar among the nobles and the wealthy. Folklore declares it to be an aphrodisiac, which is part of the reason why it is so popular. To have your journey bread take on the color of Evandari journey bread, you could replace a quantity of flour with cornmeal. Or you could add a little bit of food dye.

Journey bread is eaten like hardtack. It is generally not very flavorful and a fairly unpleasant meal. A heavy cracker-like bread, journey bread is usually used as a trencher to eat other foods on top of. This softens the journey bread and makes it more palatable.

Food of Evandar: Witch's Kiss

Witch's Kiss is a potent alcoholic beverage that is found predominantly in the mountain regions of Evandar. It is, however, something that can be found through out the seven kingdoms. Made from malted grain and aged in charred oak casks, Witch's Kiss has a base that is essentially identical to whiskey from our world. After the alcohol has aged properly, it is then infused with the spice Fireweed.

The flavor profile of Fireweed is a cross between that of hot pepper and cinnamon. To obtain something that is similar, infuse a quantity of whiskey with hot pepper followed by cinnamon. Take a fifth of high quality whiskey and transfer to a quart jar. Clean and remove the seeds from a jalapeño pepper and cut fine. Place the sliced pepper into the jar with the whiskey and place the lid on top. Place the jar in a cool, dark place (like a cupboard shelf) for three weeks.

Remove the jar from its place where it has been infusing. Strain the peppers out of the whiskey as you transfer it to another quart jar. Break a stick of cinnamon into several small pieces. Place them into a cheese cloth bag and add the bag to the jar with the whiskey. Cover the jar and place in a cool dark place. Allow this to infuse for three weeks. Remove the jar from where it has been infusing. Remove the cinnamon and pour the whiskey through a coffee filter to strain out fine particles before putting it into the container it will be kept in.

This is consumed by the shot glass but some will drink larger quantities, as will happen with hard liquor in a hard world.

Food of Evandar: Nursemaid's Sop

Just as there are special dishes in our world that are just for children (or the young at heart), there is food in the world of Evandar for the youngest of folks. Nursemaid's Sop is a dish that is given to children who have just stared on solid food, the infirm, and the elderly who have difficulty chewing food. It is an incredibly simple dish with a few variations. At its most basic, Nursemaid's Sop consists of bread that is toasted, crumbled, and soaked in a liquid until all the liquid is absorbed.

The variety of Nursemaid's Sop that is given to small children is most frequently a savory version made with broth from the stockpot. It is this version that is found through out the Seven Kingdoms, regardless of the station of the person being served. There is a spiced savory version that is served in wealthy houses and to the nobles. In addition to this, there is a sweet version that is made with almond milk and honey. This occasionally has spices in it, but only if it is being served for medicinal purposes.

Nursemaid's Sop is used as regular fare but it is also used as a vehicle to serve medicinal herbs to those who may not tolerate the herbs directly. Most often, the sweetened version of Nursemaid's Sop is used by the upper class to deliver these healthful herbs. The almond milk and honey are mixed with either the herbs directly or a tea made from them, dependent upon the herb used and the constitution of the person receiving it.

In the houses of the lower classes, sweet Nursemaid's Sop is a rare treat. In these houses, it is made with the fresh juice of pressed fruit or the liquid from stewed fruit. Most frequently, the savory version of Nursemaid's Sop is what is found in these homes. In some cases, Nursemaid's Sop is the only meal served along side porridge in an attempt to extend food resources. Old bread is used by the poor, when it is available, to make this dish as well. When made from dry, old bread, some people simply call it Sop, reserving the term Nursemaid's Sop for the variety made from toasted fresh bread.

Nursemaid's Sop is also just called Sop. Distinguishing between the different varieties of Nursemaid's Sop that one may find in their travels is challenging. Each region has slight variances upon what is served, dependent upon what grows there and the predominant livestock raised. Thus, Dakon-Bar's Nursemaid's Sop will be quite likely to have a venison broth base where as the Nursemaid's Sop that you could find in Aelethemer is more likely to have a mutton broth base.

Food of Evandar: Meat Pies

In my world, I see people having a wide range of foods. Each culture has their own specialties and there are delicacies that can be exotic or disgusting to our palate. I get my ideas for the cusine of this world from the wide variety of foods that can be found in our world. Some of them are drawn from historical recipes and some come from the recipes that I adapt. A few of them are also based in ones that I have made myself. I try to note what makes the difference between the fantasy world's recipes and the food from our world.

On a weekly basis, I will be posting a recipe that would match something from my fantasy world. These recipes may include links to other related recipes that can be found on the internet.

Meat pies are hand held pocket pies filled with a savory meat mixture. Different regions of Evandar have different varieties within them. The recipe that I am presenting today would be typical of what you would find in Dakon-Bar. (Dragonwood Forest is part of this region.) The abundance of deer is what gives this meat pie its filling. In Evandar, the meat would be minced very fine before cooking. Obviously, we can have ours ground. It makes for less labor.

If you want an 'accurate' version and you decide to mince your venison prior to cooking, consider using two chef knives held together for mincing the meat. It is a little tricky to handle but it doubles your cutting surfaces and allows you to get it done in about half the time you would be doing with a single knife. Another option is to toss your venison into a food processor. Process it until the pieces are less than 1/4 inch in size. Take care not to over process it and make a paste out of your meat.

Brown 1/4 pound of minced venison in a heavy skillet with 2 tbsp of oil, 1/4 cup of diced sweet onion, and 2 ribs of celery, chopped fine. In a separate pan, boil 2 sweet potatoes, skinned and diced, until they can be pierced with a tooth pick. Drain the water off of the sweet potatoes except for a 1/4 cup.  Mash the sweet potatoes with garlic, butter, salt, and pepper to taste.

In a separate bowl, mix 2 cups of flour with 1 cup of milk. You should get a dough that is somewhat sticky but still easy to handle. Alternatively, you can prepare 2 cups of biscuit mix as per directions. Roll out your dough and with a large glass or a biscuit cutter, cut out 2 dozen rounds.

Mix the venison mixture with the sweet potatoes. Spoon a generous amount into the center of a dozen biscuit rounds. Place another biscuit round on top and press the edges together with a fork. Prick the center of the top biscuit round three times with a fork.

Carefully place your biscuit rounds on a greased cookie sheet. (You can line the cookie sheet with baking parchment instead of greasing the cookie sheet.) Bake at 350^o until biscuits are golden brown. Serve warm with broth.

If you are looking for more Earthly fare, try this British Meat Pies recipe which inspired this one. Another variation that can be used in rounds of bread dough crimped together with a slit in the top to let the steam out. Bake this version at 350^o until golden brown.

All temperatures given are in Fahrenheit.