Emerstarian cuisine

Emerstarian cuisine is the traditional food of the people of Emerstari. Due to Emerstari's large north-south expanse, there are regional differences between the cuisine of northern and southern Emerstari.

Historically, in the far north, meats such as reindeer, and other (semi-) game dishes were eaten while fresh vegetables have played a larger role in the south. Many traditional dishes employ simple, contrasting flavours, such as the traditional dish of meatballs and brown cream sauce with tart, pungent lingonberry jam (slightly similar in taste to cranberry sauce).

Emerstarians have traditionally been very open to foreign influences, ranging from Marseilian cuisine during the 17th and 18th centuries, to Venesian cuisine today.

General features

Emerstarian cuisine could be described as centered around cultured dairy products, crisp and soft (and often sugared) breads, berries and stone fruits, beef, chicken, lamb, pork, eggs, and seafood. Potatoes are often served as a side dish, often baked or boiled. Emerstarian cuisine has a large variety of breads, made of rye, wheat, oat, white, dark, sourdough, and whole grain, and including flatbreads and crispbreads. there are many sweetened bread types and some use spices. Many meat dishes, especially meatballs, are served with lingonberry jam. Fruit soups with high viscosity, like rose hip soup and blueberry soup, served hot or cold, are typical of Emerstarian cuisine. butter and margarine are the primary fat sources, although olive oil is becoming more popular. Emerstari's pastry tradition features a variety of yeast buns, cookies, biscuits, and cakes; many of which are in a very sugary style and often eaten with coffee or milk.

History

Fish has been both prevalent and important in Emerstarian cuisine far back in history. For preservation, fish were salted and cured; salt had become a major trade item at the height of the Emerstarian Empire in the AD 100s. Cabbage was preserved as sauerkraut and various kinds of preserved berries, apples, et.c were used as a source of vitamin C during the winter. Lingonberry jam, still very popular Emerstari, may be the most traditional Emerstarain way to add freshness to sometimes rather heavy food, such as steaks and stews.

The long winters of Emerstari explain the lack of fresh vegetables in many traditional recipes. In older times, plants that sustained populations through the winters including various turnips such as the kålrot (rutabaga) were gradually supplanted or complemented by the potato in the 17th and 18th centuries. a lack of distinct spices made everyday food rather bland by the stands of today, although a number of local herbs and plants have been used in Emerstari since ancient times. This tradition is still present in today's Emerstarian dishes, which are still rather sparingly spiced.

Before and after this period, new Scanian dishes were also brought in by immigrants such as the Soumians and Canarians, due to their subjugation under Emerstari, as well as the Saexians and Rhenish who settled in Coronet, Yoerk, and Malmø. Emerstarian traders and aristocrats naturally also picked up some food traditions in foreign countries; cabbage rolls (kåldolmar) being one example. Cabbage rolls were introduced to Emerstari by Karl IV, who came into contact with the dish at the time of the Battle of Moltelvej.