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
Meat is considered an important part of High Elven cuisine. Beef, mutton and vension are widely eaten, however, pork is a taboo (albeit a soft cultural taboo, not a hard religious taboo). Despite being a staple food in neighbouring Etrand and Artaburro, Froturn had done away with pig-husbandy during the nobilization process - as such, one would expect pork to be considered an exotic food the upper class has interest in, but in reality, it's the contrary - eating pork is viewed in the same light as drinking beer: a vulgar and barbarian habit, lacking in class. Just as wine is preferred over beer, beef and mutton are preferred over pork.

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, and then mixing with pasta and/or vegetables. White meat is usually either cooked 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, hamsters, 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.

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.

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. Regular wine, raisin wine, ice wine. 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. For example, in Southern Froturn, the locals prefer working with dark-coloured grape varieties - which produce red wine - and their local climate favors the creation of raisin wine over ice wine; while in Northern Froturn, white wine made out of light-coloured grape is preferred, and the local climate is excellent for making both ice wine and raisin wine, although the earlier is preferred.

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 big 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. 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.

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.