Dragoci cuisine

The cuisine of the Kingdom of Dragoc and Naturalists worldwide is dictated by the rules of their religion. An important aspect of Wood Elven cuisine is the three-way division in types of food:
 * "Light food" is the category of food you can eat any time. It mostly includes fruits people can eat raw or dried, such as apples, pears, peaches, cherries, grapes/raisins, plum/prunes, and it goes on like that.
 * "Heavy food" is the category of food that is taboo to be eaten casually. These types of food are only allowed to be eaten during breakfast, lunch and dinner/supper. They include every type of food that is neither forbidden nor under the category of light food, for example, all types of meat are considered "heavy food" (with the exception of those that are forbidden).
 * Forbidden food is the category of food that is forbidden on all occasions. It includes the meat of cats, dogs, parrots and any sentient creatures, such as Elves, Humans, Orcs, Lizardmen, Dragons, etc.

It is important to note that in the Wood Elven religion, feasting is considered a ritual on its own - for example, eating meat is considered to be a display of homage to Goronnion - and eating casually is considered to the same as taking the name of their two deities in vain. The only exception to this rule is "light food", which is tolerated to be eaten casually, but still discouraged in excess, lest someone fill their stomach before a feast. As a better alternative to casually eating light food, Wood Elves are instead encouraged to drink tea or fruit juice before the feasts.

Animal products
All types of meat - except the meat of cats, dogs, parrots and sentient creatures, which are forbidden - are categorized as "heavy food", and are treated with respect. In Dragoc, it is taboo to excessively spice meat or use additives, as it is considered to be "concealing the taste", which is taken as a sign of a lack of piety. Meat is usually cooked or smoked, rarely roasted or fried.

Venison is the most well-liked type of meat in Dragoc. Quite controversially, bear and wolf meat are also well-enjoyed, despite being taboo in every other country. Much to the disgust of Froturnish and Etrandish visitors, frog meat - especially frog legs - are also widely enjoyed in Dragoc.

Outside of the meat itself, animal fat is often used as a part of other dishes. Eggs too are categorized as heavy food. Dairy products are not part of Dragoci cuisine. They are neither taboo nor forbidden, it's just that they don't have traditions of that there.

Fruits
Most small fruits - especially ones with berries - are categorized as "light food", while the larger fruits, such as melons, gourds and pumpkins are categorized as "heavy food".

Among all the fruits that Wood Elves are allowed to casually snack, raisins and prunes are the most well-liked. Even though peaches, pears, cherries and blueberries are considered light food, they are still most usually eaten during the great feasts, as appetizers before the main meal: the meat.

Acorns and other nuts are often used a similar fashion as cereals in other cuisines - ground into flour, and made into bread, flatbread, etc. Conventional cereals - such as wheat and barley - are almost completely absent from Dragoci cuisine, appearing only in foreign-influenced food.

Vegetables and grasses
Other than carrots, radish, peas and a few other exceptions, vegetables are considered "heavy food". Cabbage, turnips, lettuce, cucumber all form important parts of Wood Elven cuisine, while onions and garlic are considered taboo - unlike onions and garlic, leek however is accepted and categorized as light food.

Spinach, sorrel, lettuce, and cabbage are eaten mostly during the times most wild animals have their breeding periods, during which hunting is usually taboo or very limited.

Alcoholic beverages
In Dragoc, the local alcoholic beverages are mainly ciders and fruity liqueurs. Pretty much all fruits - except grapes, melons, gourds and pumpkins - are used to make these alcoholic beverages: cherries, apples, pears, peaches, apricots, you name it - by Selenna and Goronnion, if it's a small and juicy fruit, Wood Elves can and do make alcoholic beverages out of it.

After the fruit juice is fermented into an alcoholic beverage, it may be drank that way, or optionally distilled to produce something similar to real-life pálinka - a fruity brandy.

Alcoholic beverages are a special category on their own, as they are considered neither "heavy food" nor "light food" - you are allowed to drink alcohol casually, just not encouraged to do so in excess, because drunkenness will bite you in the behind.

Non-alcoholic beverages
Most famously, Dragoc is known for its teas. The tea plant is native to Dragoc, and the Wood Elves really like drinking tea. Over the course of history, they have perfected the art of tea-making, creating all sorts of fruit-flavored teas.

Additionally, as most types of tea have medicinal qualities and are considered remedies for several illnesses, the boundaries between making potions and making tea have become blurred in Dragoc. In fact, many bitter-tasting potions are mixed with sweet-tasting tea, so that the tea neutralizes that unpleasant taste of the potion that has to be drunk to regrow a lost leg or arm - but since chemical qualities of some types of tea can also neutralize the chemical qualities of potions, neutralizing the potential effect, it took a lot of trial and error to figure out what kind of tea can be mixed with what kind of potion. As such, mixing tea and potions has become an art on its own.