Froturnish cuisine

The cuisine of the Kingdom of Froturn is considered to be the most influential in all of Continental Artograch. Even though dietary habits differ among the various states of Artograch - and even among the provinces of Froturn itself, as High Elven culture never was and never will be a monolithic thing without regional variation - a table culture of Yanus is considered the gold standard among all of Artograch... maybe with the exception of Neressa and Keldorn.

Meat
White meat also plays an important role in High Elven cuisine. In Froturn, the type of meat you most often eat is said to reflect on your social status: lower-class citizens eat goat, middle-class citizens eat beef and mutton, upper-class citizens prefer poultry and vension.

Unlike in neighboring Etrand, meat is never ever eaten raw or cold, and smoking meat is also frowned upon. Instead, the preferred method of eating red meat is slicing into small - usually bite-sized - bits, then frying or cooking on a skewer, and then mixing with pasta and/or vegetables. White meat is usually either cooked (often into a soup or stew) or roasted. Bottom line: meat is always eaten warm.

Consuming meat and dairy products together as part of the same dish, while not a nationwide taboo, is generally discouraged, with the exception of two specific dishes: the "creamy pasta", which often contains bits of fried beef or mutton in addition to sour cream and cottage cheese; and the fried dough, which too often contains bits of fried beef in addition to sour cream and filed cheese. The "taboo" of putting dairy and meat together varies from region to region: in North-Western Froturn - as well as the Easternmost borders with Etrand - the taboo is relaxed, while in Southern Froturn, it is taken more seriously and even those two specific dishes are eschewed.

Both the Titanist religion and the Naturalist religion forbid the consumption of cats, dogs, and any sentient creatures. Additionally, the Titanist religion forbids the consumption of horse meat. The meat of any predator, such as a bear or a wolf, while not explicitly forbidden by any of the two aforementioned religions, is still deemed a taboo in High Elven culture.

Pork
Neither pork, nor beer are forbidden in any shape or form in the Titanist religion, the dominant religion of the High Elves, but nevertheless, pork has been a semi-taboo in High Elven culture ever since the nobilization process, as domestic pigs are seen as unclean animals - in contrast, boar meat is perfectly acceptable. Still, the taboo around pork is a largely self-imposed one dictated by culture: both pork and beer are considered barbaric, uncivilized and vulgar, something that no self-respecting High Elf would ever want to be caught eating or drinking, unless desperately starving or seriously dehydrated.

However, pork falling out of favour did not mean the end of pig husbandry in Froturn, as pig leather was - and still is - used for clothes and shoes, pig lard is still used in cooking, even though beef tallow, duck fat and plant oils are preferred. When pigs are slaughtered for the fat and leather, pork isn't thrown away like the waste it's considered - it's either sold to foreigners whose culture treats pork more favourably, or given to the poorest as a form of charity, further cementing the image of pork as poverty-food in the eyes of the High Elves. This negative image however only applies to pork from domestic pigs - the meat of wild boars is still loved by the aristocracy.

Dairy products
Cheese is well-liked in Froturn, and is eaten both "raw" and "melted". Additionally, cottage cheese and sour cream are important too. Cottage cheese is an essential part of several sweet dishes, while sour cream is used in some dishes, such as fried dough.

Cereal products
Cereal products, especially bread, have always been, and will probably always be, the main staple food of Froturn. Wheat, barley, maize and to a less extent, rice, are all used to make flour, which is then made into bread. Unlike in the Eastern Empires, rice is never cooked in Froturn - it is always used to make flour (and then most likely bread), just like wheat. Unlike in Etrand, maize is never cooked - it is always used to make flour, just like wheat.

In addition to bread, other cereal products include fried dough and various pastries. An additional use of flour is making pasta. Pasta is very popular in Froturn. Wheat gluten is used both as a stuffing in meat-based dishes and also a mushroom-replacement for urban people.

Fruits and Vegetables
Out of all the vegetables, onions and garlic make the most frequent appearances in High Elven cuisine, frequently used to enhance the taste of meat. Leeks are often grilled and eaten by the lower class and the middle class, especially in cities. Fruits also make an appearance in High Elven cuisine. Pepper and tomatoes - although not considered culinary fruits, they are still botanically fruits - are used in non-sweet dishes, such as several variants of fried dough. Tomatoes are used to make Sárum Syiahoran, the signature condiment of Froturnish cuisine.

Peas are often eaten in soup, while potatoes are used as a cheap alternative to bread by the lower class. Other than that, vegetables don't make too much appearance in High Elven cuisine. Culinary fruits, such as apples, melons, cherries, strawberries, plums, grapes, blueberries, huckleberries and walnuts are both eaten raw and used in pastries. Jam is made out of strawberries, plums and blueberries, and is sometimes used as part of meat dishes. Both raisins and dried prunes are well-liked and eaten regardless of social class in Froturn.

After the proliferation of the Mages Guild, there was a brief freeze-drying fad, in which all kinds of food that were never intended to be freeze-dried were experimented with: vegetables and fruits would be either freeze-dried and sold as such, or cooked, freeze-dried, crushed into powder, and then sold. Since freeze-dried and powdered food was expected to be reconstituted with water, the end result was often a fruit or vegetable flavoured goo that wasn't very appetizing. After the freeze-drying fad died out, they stopped freeze-drying fruits and vegetables, unless they were intended to be used as military rations, or powdered and used as flavouring agents and spices.

Alcoholic Beverages
Wine is the single most important beverage in Froturn. Wine has been part of the history of Froturn since the very start, if any part of High Elven cuisine is a source of national pride for the High Elves, it's their wine. Many High Elves are insulted when someone proclaims being anti-alcoholic, as the people of Froturn and very proud of their wines.

Froturn is home to many different types of wine and traditions vary from region to region, as the wineries of Froturn all have their secret family recipes, their own preferred types/species of grape, their own ways of making the wine - none the less, what they all have in common, is that the preferred ingredient for their wine is Steppe Pearl, a fruit that, in spite of its strong resemblance to regular grapewine, is actually a species of Prunus rather than Vitis.

In Eastern Froturn, which has a strong Halfling minority, the local favourite is wine made out of fermenting grape and sour cherry together, or alternatively, mixing red wine with cherry juice.

Beer is a cultural taboo in Froturn. While the religion does not forbid it, drinking beer is viewed in the same light as eating pork - a barbaric and vulgar habit, lacking class, thus it was phased out during the nobilization process. Ever since the 9th century AEKE, mulled wine got introduced from Etrand to Froturn, and became an instant favourite of the urban population, especially on holidays, such as Saint Múyian's Days. A recently popular wine is the Snow-White Sugary.

Non-Alcoholic Beverages
The most prominent non-alcoholic beverages in Froturn are mainly milk and the juice of various fruits. The only well-known uniquely Froturnish non-alcoholic beverage is a mixture of peach with milk, cooled down to a near-freezing temperature, served cold. Historically, milk was difficult to attain for the urban proletariat, but after the proliferation of the Mages Guild, freeze-dried milk became commonly available.

Various types of tea have been introduced from Dragoc to Froturn in the last few centuries and have taken on some local favors, which mainly include mixing with wine. As with milk, freeze-dried tea is widely sold to and consumed by lower-income people who can't be bothered to brew tea from the main source.