Spirean cuisine

Spirean cuisine or D'hɑlbrisir cuisine refers to the traditional and modern styles of cooking related to Crystal Spires. Situated in south Central Mystria, the Spirean culinary styles are unique to Mystria, though has historically both influenced and has been influenced by Spires's neighboring regions at various stages throughout its history. Specifically, these have been mutual culinary influences to and from Altean Cuisine, Ealdurimite Cuisine, and especially High Treefolk Cuisine.

National cuisine

Rice

It is believed that rice (Miris in D'rɑgolɛth) was brought to D'hɑbrisir from the Western Treefolk in ancient times. Varieties of rice in Crystal Spires include "fragrant", "long grain", "short grain", and "sticky". Traditionally, rice was most prevalent as a major staple item in the rice growing region of Southern Spires, the Luminas River Valley and the homes of the wealthy, while in the rest of the country bread was the dominant staple. The varieties of rice most valued in Spirean cuisine are prized for their aroma, and grow in the Narai River Valley.

Cooking methods

Rise is typically boiled or steamed, and may be served with vegetables, fish, poultry, and other types of meat. It is also used to stuff vegetables and also to stuff inside certain leaves for dumplings. When combined with milk, sugar, sweet milk, coconut milk, fruits, sweet beans, taro, nectar, or honey it can be made into a dessert. Rice may also be made into porridge by adding more water than usual, so that the cooked rice is saturated with water, usually to the point that it disintegrates. Rice porridge is commonly eaten as a breakfast food, and is also a traditional food for the sick.

Bread

Flatbreads are more commonly used when making food and can be made of several materials.

Flour flatbreads

Bread can be made from flour beginning by fermenting yeast, sugar, flour, salt, oil, eggs and afterward adding some seasonings of either black cumin, sesame seeds, caraway seeds, saffron, Onion (nigella) seeds, pepper, lard, or clarified butter depending on one's location.

Corn Flatbreads

Bread can be made from finely ground maize of three colors of maize dough: white maize, yellow maize and blue maize. Each can be used for making the flat bread. First one by curing maize in limewater, then grinding and cooking it, kneading it into a dough, giving the waste material to poultry. The bread is then cooked on a flat hot stone or a metal griddle. It does not keep well so that which is not cooked immediately is then deep fried to be kept as waybread to be had on the run in the form of chips.

Millet flatbreads

One of the other kinds of flatbread is ground millet or millet flour which is cooked with water and vegetable oil. It is coarser than the above breads.

Sorghum flatbreads

Fairly simple and at the same time, complicated, one need only add water salt and heat to make this kind of flatbread.

Fruits and vegetables

Fruits A-K

Abiu Acerola Ackee Agave Allspice Ambarella Apple Araza Atemoya Avocado Açaí Babaco Bacupari Bacuri Bael Banana Barbadine Cherry Betel Nut Bignay Bilimbi Biribi Black Mulberry Black Sapote Coconut Bottle Gourd Breadnut Burmese grape Caimito Cocao Calabash Tree Calamansi CamuCamu Canistel Cape Gooseberry Capulin Cherry Carambola

Carob Cassabanana Cattley Guava Cawesh Ceriman Chayote Chempedak Chenet Cherimoya Cherry of the Narai Cherry orange Chupa-Chupa Coco Plum Cocona Coconut Cocoplum Cola nut Cornelian cherry Cupuaçu Curry-leaf Tree Custard Apple Damson plum Date Date plum Dead Man's Fingers Double Coconut Dragonfruit Duku Durian Elephant Apple Emblica Feijoa Fig Gambooge Genip Giant Granadilla Gooseberry

Governor’s Plum Grapefruit Grapes, Vitis vinifera and raisins Grumichama Guanabana Guarana Guava Guavaberry Hairless rambutan Hog Plum Honeydew Horned melon Huito Ice Cream Bean Ilama Imbe Jaboticaba Jackfruit Jambul Jatobá Jelly Plum Jocote Jujube Kandis Kapok Karonda Kei apple Kepel fruit Key lime Kitembilla Kiwano Kiwifruit Korlan Kumquat Kundong

Fruits K-Z on

Kwai Muk Lakoocha Langsat Lanzones Leucaena Limeberry Limequat Longan Loquat Louvi Lucuma Lychee Lúcuma Ma-praang Mabolo Macadamia Madrono Malabar plum Mamey Mammee Apple Mamoncillo Mangaba Mango Mangosteen Manila tamarind Maypop Medlar Meiwa Kumquat Melinjo Melon pear Miracle Fruit Monkey Jackruit Monkey Tamarind Monstera Montessa Granadilla Moringa Mountain Soursop Mundu Muskmelon Nance Naranjilla Neem Noni

Nutmeg Néré Oil Palm Olive Olive Orange Palmyra Palm Papaya Passion fruit Pawpaw Peach palm Peanut Peanut butter fruit Pecan Pepino Pequi Persimmon Pewa Phalsa Pigeon pea Pili Nut Pindo Palm Pineapple Pineapple guava Pistachio Pitaya Pitomba Plantain Pois doux Pomegranate Pommecythère Pommerac Pond-apple Pulasan Pummelo Pupunha Purple Guava Purple Mombin Purple granadilla Rambutan Red Mombin Riberry Ridged gourd Rollinia

Red granadilla Rose Apple Rough Shell Macadamia Safou Salak Santol Sapodilla Sea Grape Soncoya Soursop Star Apple Strawberry Guava Strawberry Pear Sugar Apple Sugar Cane Summer squash Surinam Cherry Sweet Granadilla Sweet orange Sweet pepper Sweetsop Sycamore fig Tamarillo Tamarind Taro Tangerine Ugni Vanilla Velvet Tamarind Voavanga Wampee Water Apple Watermelon Wax Gourd Wax jambu White Sapote Winged Bean Wood Apple Xigua Yangmei Yantok Yellow Granadilla Yellow Mombin Youngberry Ziziphus

Citrus

Essential to cooking

• Lemon
• Blood Orange
• Citron
• Clementine
• Grapefruit
• Kumquat
• Lemon
• Lime, including Key, Persian and Kaffir lime
• Mandarin
• Naartjie
• Orange (sweet or sour)
• Pomelo
• Sweet Lemon
• Kabosu
• Oroblanco
• Tangerine
• Hybrids of the preceding species, such as the Orangelo, Tangelo, Rangpur (fruit) and Ugli fruit

Vegetables

Amaranth Artichoke Arugula (rocket) Asparagus Baby Corn Bamboo Beans Beetroot Bell Peppers Bitter Basil Bitter Gourd Broad Bean Broccoli Brussel Sprouts Buckwheat Bunching Onion Burdock Cabbage Calabash. Capsicum Carrot Cassava (starchy tubers) Cauliflower Celery & Celeriac Chard (silverbeet, similar to spinach) Chayote Chicory and Endive Chilli Peppers Choi Sum Collards Coriander Corn, Black Corn, Blue Corn, Sweet Corn, White Corn, Yellow Cress

Cucumber Edamame Eggplant (aubergine) Endive Fennel Flower Cabbage Gai Lan Garland Chrysanthemum Garlic Green Bean Green Choy Sum Green Petiole Green Wonder Hairy Gourd Hiroshimana Hon-Tsai-Tai Hot Pepper Hyacinth Bean Kale (Kai Lam) Kamatsuna. Kang Kong (water spinach) Kohlrabi Land Seaweed Leek Flower Lettuce Luffa Lotus Root Manoic Melon Mibuna Misome Mitsuba Mizuna Molokhiya Mung Bean Mustard Mustard Spinach Napa Cabbage

Okra Onions Pak Choi Palm Peppers Pickling Melon Pumpkins Radish Rape Rocket (arugula) Scallion Silverbeet (chard, similar to spinach) Snake Gourd Snow Peas Soybean Spinach Squash Sweet Bean Sweet Corn Sweet Pepper Sweet Potatoes (instead of normal potatoes) Thin Leek Tomato Tomatoes Turnip Water Chestnuts Watercress Watermelon White Choy Sum White Petiole Winged Bean Winter Melon (Wax Gourd) Wong Bok Yardlong Bean Zucchini

Spices

Achiote Aloe Vera Angelica Basil Brahmi Cardamom Chives Cilantro Cinnamon Cocoa Cloves Comfrey

Coriander Cumin Dill Galangal Garlic Garlic Chives Ginger Lemongrass Mint Nutmeg Oregano

Parsley Peppercorns Perilla Pistachio Rosemary Saffron Sesame Stevia Thyme Tumeric Vanilla Zaafaran

Drinks and desserts

Bourbon Whiskey Bread Pudding Brown Sugar Candy Bubble Tea Caramel Cream and Coconut cakes Caramel Custard Cassava Chicha Chocolate Pudding Coconut Cream Coconut Ice Coconut Liquor Coconut Pudding Coffee Cookies Corn Beer Crepes Crescents Dumplings in Sweet Coconut Milk Fondue

Fried Bananas Fried Dough and Chocolate Fruit Tarts Fruits Sorbet Ginger ale Ginger beer Ginger wine Hard Sugar Candy Hibiscus Tea Honey Nut Treats Jelly Candies Mango Pudding Mead Mead Brandy Millet Beer Mousse Palm Sugar Candies Palm Wine Pancakes with fruits Pandan Pudding

Plantains and Chocolate Rice Wine Rum Shaved ice Squash Pudding Sticky Rice Dessert Sticky Rice and Sweet beans Sugar Wands Sweet Cakes Sweet Caramel Sweet Rice Pudding Sweet breads Syrups Tapioca Pudding Tapioca and Coconut Jellies Tea Wine Mezcal Raicilla Tequila

Essential accompaniments

There are certain accompaniments which are essential to every Spirean lunch and dinner, regardless of the region. These include a plate of fresh herbs including basil, cilantro, scallion, mint, radish (black, red, white), watercress or beans with a variety of flat breads (made of corn, flour, pearl millet, or jowar), fresh white cheeses, nuts, sliced tomatoes and onions, yogurt, and lemon juice.

Tea is served at breakfast. It may be served at other times, based on the region, usually many times throughout the day. The traditional methods of tea preparation and drinking differ between regions and peoples.

Traditional table settings and etiquette

The traditional Spirean table setting firstly involves the tablecloth, called tovahri, and is spread out over a rug or low table. Main dishes are concentrated in the center, surrounded by smaller dishes containing appetizers, condiments, side dishes, as well as bread, all of which are nearest to the diners. These latter dishes are called accompaniments. When the food has been served, an invitation is made to all those seated at the tovahri to help themselves. Many Spireans continue to use bread or rice to eat their meals, and they are typically eaten with hands or long thin sticks or ceramic spoons.

Structure of meals

Breakfast

Breakfast in Spires consists of a variety of fruits, nuts and cheeses often sweetened with honey, or a variety of fruit jams and spreads. Other popular traditional breakfasts (which require far more preparation) are typically regional specialties, and many cities and towns all across Crystal Spires feature their own distinct versions of breakfast dishes.

Lunch

Popular traditional Lunches are typically quickly made dishes with many different regional specialties, and many cities and towns all across Crystal Spires feature their own distinct regional lunch dishes. The outcome is usually a quick mix of herbs, meat, beans, dairy products, and vegetables. Major staples of Spirean food such as rice, various herbs ( onion, garlic, oregano, mint, parsley, and black pepper), cheese ( derived from goat or sheep's milk, and sometimes cow's milk), a variety of regional vegetables, and more recently some type of meat (usually poultry, beef, lamb, goat, or fish) are often used to make Flatbread Sandwiches and Rice with Flavored Powders which is by far the most popular dish for lunch, and the constitution of these vary by region. Tea is the drink of choice on nearly every occasion, and is usually served with dried fruit, pastries, or sweets. You can usually find tea brewing throughout the day in most Spirean homes. Suuʒo drink, or Rum is also quite popular.

Dinner

Traditional Spirean cooking is done in stages, at times needing hours of preparation and attention. Popular traditional dinner are typically regional specialties, and many cities and towns all across Crystal Spires feature their own distinct regional dishes. The outcome is a well-balanced mixture of herbs, meat, beans, dairy products, and vegetables. Major staples of Spirean food that are usually eaten with every meal include rice, various herbs ( onion, garlic, oregano, mint, parsley, and black pepper), cheese ( derived from goat or sheep's milk, and sometimes cow's milk), a variety of regional vegetables, and more recently some type of meat (usually poultry, beef, lamb, goat, or fish). Stew over rice is by far the most popular dish, and the constitution of these vary by region. Tea is the drink of choice on nearly every occasion, and is usually served with dried fruit, pastries, or sweets. You can usually find tea brewing throughout the day in most Spirean homes. Suuʒo drink, or Rum is also quite popular.

Fast food, imported and adapted foods

Popular fast food items in Crystal Spires include miris za kaneth veyr kipi("rice and meat on a stick"), kipo veyr kipi (the same, but substituting grilled chicken), Kɑlɔmiris, and a number of different derivatives of traditional slow-cooked meals. An increasing preference for Herdite, Menelmacari, C'tani, and Orlkjestadi style food among a younger generation of Spireans has resulted in the establishment of many Porkwich, Apple Pie, and vegetarian establishments, but foreign food is sometimes served alongside staples such as those mentioned above, and is often prepared differently. The outstanding characteristic of modern Spirean cookery is its conservatism. The much discussed craze for Foreign things has had little or no effect on the people’s eating habits. In this field, Spirean cultural resistance to foreign influences has shown particular strength.

Historical Spirean cookbooks

Although the cookbooks written under the rule of the Imperial Altean Kingdom included some recipes with D'rɑgolɛthic names and clearly derived from Spirean cuisine, the earliest classical cookbooks in D'rɑgolɛth that have survived are two volumes from the Early Imperial period. The older one is the Lun Nitsu Kartsa Glelok("Manual on cooking and its craft") written in 930-1191 by Mai Mitsuka for an aristocratic patron at the end of the reign of Orin II Rɛgɑrberl. The book originally contained 26 chapters, listed by the author in her introduction, but chapters 24 through 25 are missing from the surviving manuscript. The recipes include measurements for ingredients; often detailed directions for the preparation of dishes, including the types of utensils and pots to be used; and instructions for decorating and serving them. In general the ingredients and their combinations in various recipes do not differ significantly from those in use today. The large quantities specified, as well as the generous use of such luxury ingredients as saffron, suggest that these dishes were prepared for large aristocratic households, even though in her introduction, the author claimed to have written it "for the benefit of the nobility, as well as the public".

Spirean cuisine abroad

Spirean cuisine is beginning to become more widely recognized with more Spirean franchise and restaurants becoming more common. It has inspired styles of cooking, and with the recent calls for exploration of international cuisine, it has begun the Great World Cookbook by famous Spirean Chef Jaren Macklin. Spirean Cuisine has become a much broader and more general term. Many Spirean super-markets and restaurants are labelled as International cuisine in order to broaden their appeal to the modern international consumer.