Ganome

A ganome in the Binhame Coast

Interior of an urban ganome

Interior of an older ganome

A ganome (also ganomé or ganomë) is an establishment that typically serves non-alcoholic beverages and meals to the local community and travellers, originating in Dezevau. They are best known for their drinks, and may be considered primarily a kind of coffeehouse or teahouse; they are also important community centres as far as they provide a gathering point, serve food and also often provide accommodation to travellers. They tend to be located at street level in permanent buildings, though often with seating outside as well as inside, and owned and operated as small businesses or by the local community.

The ganome is distinctive of Dezevauni culture, not only for its usual cuisine but also as far as they tend to carry on the custom of communal cooking and dining. Food and drinks are generally affordably priced, and it is common for a ganome to be involved in community activities, particularly as a venue before and after meals. Ganomes usually acquire their furniture from local craftspeople, especially made from plant shaping. The ganome's authentic presence outside of Dezevau is mostly due to the Dezevauni diaspora. Some establishments, however, mainly in Eastern countries, do represent themselves as ganome on the basis of their cuisine, while not necessarily functioning socially as such (sometimes they are owned by large chains); other establishments, even rarer, function on the ganome model, but mostly do not serve cuisine related to that of Dezevau.

Etymology

The term "ganome", pronounced /gənoʊmeɪ/ or /gənoʊmɪ/ in Estmerish, is a transliteration of a Ziba word. The Ziba word has referred specifically to ganomes since Old Ziba, but before the emergence of the ganome it likely referred to kitchens, eateries, nurseries or places of communal care and preparation in general. In Estmerish, the spellings "ganomé" and "ganomë" are also known; both indicate pronunciation indicting that the final "e" is to be pronounced separately, though the former comes from the Gaullican spelling which uses an acute diacritic to show the same, and the latter uses a diaeresis.

History

Origin

Traditionally, communally-run villages in the Dezevauni countryside had a single kitchen where all the cooking was done, which would save on labour through the economy of scale; this style of dining is believed by some to be related to the manner in which hunter-gatherers ate, possibly because of the unique Dezevauni agricultural context.

As trade grew throughout the region, these kitchens would commonly also serve those travelling through who chose to stay in the village; as they were empty at night, they were also suitable to giving accommodation to travellers. In the daytime, as more serious public business was conducted elsewhere, the communal kitchen tended to host lighter public activities such as singing, dancing, art or games, for children, the elderly and those otherwise indisposed to work. A cow would often be kept for milk at the ganome, possibly originally to help feed children. This kind of place was the first to be termed a "ganome" in its modern sense.

Urbanisation

Community centres and the serving of food and beverages had various traditions in various urban centres during pre-Aguda Dezevau, when city-states dominated. However, the general trend of migration to cities (because of their wealth, growth but high death rates and low fertility) introduced the concept of the ganome. In particular, higher class clubs which were adept at the preparation of recreational beverages began to merge with the ganome, as the middle class and its interconnectedness with the agricultural villages of the countryside grew. The ganome was well-established in the cities as places of social gathering and consumption by the advent of the Aguda Empire.

Ganome near Noavanau during the early modern period

Imperialism

The advent of the Aguda Empire and the subsequent Gaullican colonisation of Dezevau saw much greater centralisation of power and wealth than had existed before, but also the introduction of new goods and crops as world trade bloomed. Many of the distinctive flavours, practices, dishes and beverages of ganomes originated in this period, such as all cocoas, tea, the use of new world spices such as vanilla and allspice, and various flours and doughs (some made from corn or potato). Centralised enterprises as well as generalised social disruption threatened ganomes, but most survived; apart from in their role as gathering places which could foment unrest (which saw some sumptuary laws applied), they were largely below the serious attention of regulators and tax collectors, especially in the countryside.

Contemporary

A ganome inside a shopping centre

Ganomes saw a resurgence after Dezevauni independence, and the socialist regime came to encourage them as compatible with a socialist way of life, and an efficient way of saving on labour and resources with regards to food consumption. For a time, most meals were eaten at a ganome. While historically in the cities run privately, many ganomes were put under community ownership and management as socialism became more established. Other institutions have come to take places in society that ganomes had traditionally fulfilled over time, including community centres, sporting clubs, and foreign restaurants and drinking establishments, and ganomes themselves have changed in format in response to contemporary trends such as globalisation, migration, the night economy and so forth. Nonetheless, ganomes remain significant in Dezevauni communities and cuisine to the present day.

Cuisine

The availability of offerings at a ganome depends often on the season and region it is operating in. Generally, however, a wider variety of beverages is available than of food, which is cooked altogether to be served later on.

Beverages

A wide variety of beverages, especially sweet and caffeinated ones, are served at ganomes. However, alcohol is unusual; it is more often used in cooking than for drinking at ganomes (though spiced fruit wines are not unknown). It is traditional, and still practiced in rural areas or for novelty to keep a dairy cow near a ganome for fresh milk.

Soft drinks are usually available at ganomes, and water is usually available for free (filtered or boiled if the area does not have clean tap water). However, ganomes specialise in more traditional, prepared beverages. Many of these beverages, while conceived of in the Eastern world as different categories (tea, coffee, cocoa, milk, etc.) tend to be combined. Most drinks are available iced, today, though this is a very recent development; in some ways, iced drinks are a symbol of the youth, modernity, change from tradition and development.

Yerba mate is sometimes served.

A cup of Dezevauni coffee

Coffee

Internationally known as Dezevauni coffee, the traditional method of coffee preparation is roasting, fine grinding and adding to water without filtering. This tends to produce a strongly distinctive coffee flavour, and is one of the oldest coffee cultures, if not the single oldest uninterrupted one.

However, brewing and other methods of coffee preparation have also been common since Gaullican colonisation, especially in areas with stronger Eastern influence such as the Binhame Coast. The Dezevauni preparation method is more common, though, and in fact ganomes have been some of the most important showcases and proponents of the method of preparation overseas.

All types of coffee are commonly served either straight, or with substances added; these often include milk, sugar (both raw and refined), cream (or creamer), salep, cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, honey, cocoa, or various types of tea. Ambergris was historically used. Eastern style coffees are common in this regard, alongside traditional flavour combinations.

Iced coffee and black tea blend

Tea

Many varieties of tea are available at ganome, and served often with spices, milk, sugar, and so forth. Tea was introduced largely by Gaullicans, who found Dezevau's climate was amenable to plantations for it; it was only later picked up as a popular drink natively. Matcha is a relatively recent introduction, but familiar in nature in a sense to Dezevauni coffee, insofar as it is ground.

Juice

Blended juice including soursop juice, pandan flavouring and other ingredients

The serving of juices, both hot and cold, is not only common but traditional, possibly because of a lack of an alcohol culture which might see fruits fermented. Sources of commonly consumed and served juices include aloe vera, lime, cantaloupe, sugar cane, coconut (water and milk), lychee, lemon, pomelo, pineapple, watermelon, banana, soursop and passionfruit. Fruit often stores better than juice, and so traditionally it is common to create juices on-site. Blending of flavours is common, as is the addition of sugar, water, milk or spices. One notable juice recipe is spiced mango nectar, which is inspired by spiced mango, a street food.

Cocoa

Both hot and cold cocoa are served, often spiced and flavoured similarly to how it was prepared in the precolonial Asterias; vanilla, honey, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, and so forth may be applied. However, it may also be combined with milk and other beverages.

Milk

A cow (or other milk animal) is often kept at ganomes not only for milk to add to other drinks, but as flavoured and spiced milks are notable beverages in their own right. One of the most famous, called "creme d'Edgar", is served warm and combined of milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Flavoured milk, often using fruit or cocoa, tends to be popular with tourists. Steamed milk is also available.

Food

A pandan-flavoured cake

Spiced fruit salad

Ganome food often tends to be the main meals of the day for those eating, and so it tends to run the full gamut of Dezevauni cuisine. The use of fruits, nuts and spices is very common because of their availability, but grains and meats are also used. Millet was traditionally the most used grain, though bread culture was introduced to some extent from Gaullica, while among meats fish is the most used.

Stewing, roasting, baking and stir-frying are common food preparation methods. Usually, one large pot of stew or soup of the day is prepared, which is kept on the fire for the whole of the mealtime and dealt out from for eaters. Along with it, there may be roast meats and vegetables, dough-based goods, desserts and delicacies. Stir-frying is often utilised to fill gaps when other foods are not ready, insufficient or distasteful to someone particular. Dessert, a tradition introduced by Eucleans, is sometimes consumed, but generally there are not distinct courses, but rather a general mealtime.

Culture

Community

Ganomes are significant as community institutions. They are usually run by local small business owners or the community itself publicly, and their livelihood depends on the patronage of the local community (outside of ganomes that may primarily serve tourists or other travellers, or be otherwise distanced from the traditional model). There is often community involvement in food and drink preparation, and it is common for the premises of ganomes to be used for purposes such giving children a space to play, singing, dancing, arts & crafts or gaming outside of mealtimes. This is broadly in sync with how the ganome originated as the centre of food preparation in commune-villages.

A former colonial-era Gaullican café in Bagangige, now operated as a ganome mainly for international tourists

Tourism

In recent years, the ganome has been recognised as an important part of Dezevauni cultural heritage. Largely international tourists drive a trend of visiting ganomes to experience its food, drinks and community; one particular selling point is its very long history of coffee, another the variety, innovation and cultural assimilation its servings are characterised by. However, in some cases, this tourism has been seen to damage the actual functioning of the ganome as a community hub.

Many ganomes, particularly those in the countryside, also provided accommodation traditionally, mainly for traders and messengers rather than tourists. In recent years, however, lines have blurred, with some hotels hosting ganomes, and other ganomes not hosting at all. A significant proportion of tourists still stay in ganomes, however.