Pulaui Cuisine

A traditional Pulaui spread at an community Kitchen program.

Pulaui Cuisine can trace its roots to centuries prior to the native Archipelago, with the harvesting and domestication of rice developing in tandem with the utilization of citrus and coconut, both of which have enormous influences on Pulaui cuisine as a whole. After the engagement with Mutul in the 16th and 17th centuries, Pulaui cuisine expanded in using overseas ingredients to expand and develop its own complex profiles, which accentuated both spicy and savory flavors. While there are distinct regional cuisines, including in the separated Sina’Uia Peninsula, a centralized, Pulaui Cuisine has developed from a combination of regional recipes and cooking methods that integrated, and were spread throughout the Ozeros. The cuisine has been hallmarked as being wholly prolific to the entirety of the region- especially given the range of flavor and palate diversity found within the flavors created- and marking itself a key player in Ozerosi culinary engagement, with culinarians traditionally learning to cook through Pulaui methods, and comparing base steps of cooking to staples found throughout the cuisine. All of this is why Pulau Keramat is considered one of the culinary capitals of the world.

Staples include mainly spice blends, such as Sambal, or the spices on their own for development, with key ingredients being Bird’s Eye and Finger Pepper, Lemongrass, Coriander, Turmeric, Coconut, and Palm Sugar, to name a few. In addition, the utilization of fresh flavors is considered crucial for many dishes, with citruses like lime, and the zest of lemons and oranges accentuating these flavors. Vinegar and alcohol are also largely used to this effect, and help compose many sauces and marinades used for this cuisine.

In addition, Pulaui cuisine can be divided into three major groups; of ‘Lean’, ‘Fatty’ and ‘Aquatic’ dishes, based upon the meat involved. Because the Archipelago never presented a major bovine/grazing mammal- with goats primarily being used for dairy production- meats are either very lean, or very fatty, such as represented in the split of Moa, versus the Ozerosi Bunyip. Meanwhile, ‘aquatic’ dishes utilize Crab, Shrimp, and a large diversity of fish such as Tilapia, Squid, Stingray, Shark, Mackerel, Milkfish and Snapper.

Main Ingredients

Nuts

Nuts are used primarily for sauces or to develop the savory taste profile, often found throughout Pulau Cuisine. Most common usage includes peanuts, pili nuts, macadamia, bunya nuts, Karuka, and candlenuts. Many of these are often used as pastes, where they develop sauces, or are applied throughout the cooking process. Bunya nuts specifically compose a majority of the starchy profile needed for curries and thicker sauces, whilst raw peanuts often top salads. Some nuts are not used in the culinary world, and instead are chewed, such at the Darah Nut found sacred in N’nhivara.

Citrus

Calamansi juice, often served at breakfast in Kopiona Poi.

The most crucial citrus’ to Pulaui cuisine are the lime and calamansi, both of which are utilized for many purposes, especially flavoring. Limes are often used to portray the ‘fresh’ aspect of Pulaui cuisine, whilst calamansi are often flavor enhancers. However, both are also used in marinades for dishes such as Adobo, or preserves to create sweet jellies. In addition, other citruses such as lemons and oranges can be found, but are more subdued in their presence, with their zest being more commonly used then their juice or flesh. Various citrus based sorbets have garnered modern and popular appeal, and reflect the large amount of desserts that use the fruit as a central taste. Other citrus found in Pulaui cuisine include Pomelo, Micrantha, Cabuyao, and King Orange, with a clear emphasis and utilization of 'true' citrus over hybrid citrus, such as the tangelo or tangerine.

Spices

Pulau, as a tropical region, has an endemic population of many spices, that range in their utilization, and presentation. Many spices belong to individual islands, however some have become commonplace in which they are grown and used even abroad. The famous spice paste of the Pulaui Archipelago, known as Sambal, consists of numerous variants that distinguish between the peppers used, as well as the many secondary flavorings that can be present, with options including shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, palm sugar, lime juice, and many other ingredients. The intensity of heat, as well as flavor profile and texture, result in over three hundred different forms of modern Sambal. Often, Sambal is consumned on its own, with a variety of vegetables or fried meats served to dip into the spice blend itself, which is compositionally comparable to a paste or dry rub. A second strain of spice blends, known as 'Bumbu', are wholly dry, and focus on aromatic impact on being added to dishes, such as soups and sauces.

Complex

Complex spices are those that can match and work within several flavor palates, and are considered far more difficult to use, due to their presences either being disproportionately strong or delicate, thus needing training and special care when used. Spices of this variety include lemongrass, galangal, tempoyak coriander, turmeric, and white pepper, as some examples. Other spices often fit into this category as being complementary to complex spices, including nutmeg, Bay leaf, shallot, black pepper, and caraway.

Spicey

These spices are most often used to complement and develop the spicy flavors introduced by the peppers often used in Pulaui cuisine. Paprika largely defines this category, however many powders and pastes also are defined in this region, including spices such as Mace, Salam Koja, Tamarind, and Curcuma. Pepper oils are also very popular to this extent, as all aim for the same goal of developing flavor beyond sensation.

Savory

These spices are most often used to complement and develop the savory flavors introduced by the nuts often used in Pulaui cuisine. Spices here may include star anise, marjoram, bay laurel, ginger, Pandan, fried garlic, Raji Basil, ‘Nuoc Mam’, and dried anchovy, with the last being contested by culinary critics as it's effective usage is as a spice, regardless of its composition.

Meat

At any dinner table within Pulaui cuisine, there is a sharp distinction between the lean and fatty dishes, with flavors, bases, and textures changing between the primary meat used in each dish. The lean meats of Pulau Keramat are known for their minimal fatty content, and are often paired with noodles. Lean meats largely include kangaroo, moa, poultry, and most seafoods. The fatty meats of Pulau Keramat include Bunyip, Dugong, Tree Kangaroo, Babirusa, and some seafoods such as Oysters and a variety of fish.

Seafood

Seafood is the most prolific and important part of Pulaui cuisine, given its archipelagic nature. In every regional cuisine, seafoods compose a vast majority of what is produced and consumed, especially in dishes commonly attributed to workers and laborers. Used in all aspects of cooking and preparation, seafood is used for oils, seasonings, pastes, and sauces, with some kitchens often distinguishing ‘aquatic’ culinary families separate from the lean-fatty split. The most common utilizations of seafood come in stews, soups, and pastes, due to the abundant nature of the resource.

Rice/Noodles

These two grains are the hallmark facet of agricultural development within the archipelago, with a majority of noodles composed of either buckwheat or rice. Typically, rice will be consumed with fatty meats, whilst noodles will be paired with lean meats, however, often these carbohydrates are served on their own, or with sauces. Whilst much rice consumption is done on it's own, or mixed with Sambal, the most popular meal is to make Nasi Goreng, a fried rice dish using Pulaui Soy sauce that emphasizes savory, smoky flavorings. There are countless ways to differentiate Nasi Goreng, including the addition of shrimp paste (Nasi Goreng Tesai)), the utilization of squid ink (Nasi Goreng Hitam), and the fatty Bunyip lemak (Nasi Goreng Tiarbah). In addition, the proliferation and production of rice noodles has become more commonplace in urban centers, using similar ingredients to various Nasi Goreng recipes, whilst also more commonly topping the dish with various seafoods and vegetables, rather than mixing them in.

Peppers

An assortment of Raji Chili, harvested at different times of development in order to procure different flavors.

Peppers in Pulau derive from the Capsicum Litora genus, which is endemic to coastal environments. These are used to create the spicy taste profile famous within Pulaui cuisine, and is often a heavily ‘developed’ spicy flavor. This asserts that the spice is less of a direct ‘burn’, and more so a flavor paired with other ingredients and seasonings. However, this profile is often overlooked in cultures not accustomed to this genus of pepper. Peppers are heavily used in curries, stews, sauces, and seasoning fatty meats, especially tree kangaroos. There are over thirty different peppers that are endemic to the Pulaui archipelago, crossbred with some of the more heated genus that were brought over during Mutulese cultural exchanges. Peppers within Pulau Keramat often emphasize complexity over direct heat, but trend towards spicier usage then many other dishes- enough so that some of the hotter variants are unpopular outside of the Ozerosi culinary world given their overwhelming impact. Because of this, Pulaui cuisine in environments such as Norumbia and Belisaria trend towards using milder peppers in their Sambal; wheras in Scipia, many culinary environments have leaned more intensly into this spice, selectively breeding peppers to acheive even higher Scoville ratings.

Dairy

A majority of dairy products within Pulaui cuisine come from goats due to a lack of native bovines, and are a cornerstone in curries and sauces, as well as the various desserts made throughout the archipelago. Goat cheese, known as Dali, is traditionally prepared by boiling the milk with papaya and banana leaf, thus adding a bitter note to the addition. This is most often used in Nyenengake, a side dish served with most meals that is meant to act as a 'soother' in counteracting excess heat and spice.

Coconut

Coconuts are used as a flavoring and garnish in many fresh or sweet flavored dishes, however the most common usage is coconut milk, which is used in curries, marinades, a part of the Nyenengake trinity, and a majority of deserts. Coconut shells are also used as a serving mechanism, and are very popular in street food environments, where they are used to hold fried rice, or noodle bowls.

Salt

Salt is used as a base from which other flavors can be based upon, however unlike many other cultures, it is not used beyond this stage typically, as the flavor of salt is rarely emphasized, with some exceptions; including some variant dishes for Bunyip, due to it’s extremely fatty content.

Beverages

Kopi

More commonly known as Coffee, Pulaui Kopi is one of the most popular hot beverages within the entirity of the archipelago, utilizing both endemic blends as well as serving a meeting ground for popular coffee blends from both Oxidentale and Scipia. A wide variety of coffee variations exist, usually including different methods of prepation and mixture that resulte in a large variety of consumption methods. Most popular is the widely reknown Kopi luwak, which is made using the already digested beans of the Palm Civet to process a form of coffee that has become reknown as one of the most expensive forms in the world, due to it's limited production. Pulaui chains such as Cafe Surakarta have spread beyond the Ozeros as a signal to the popularity of Pulaui Kopi beverages, as well as it's capacity to integrate with different coffee cultures. It is not uncommon for multiple forms of Kopi to be served at a single meal as a means of accentuating different tastes, such as the Kopi Rarobang, which involves the mixture of walnuts and cardamom, and the Kopi Jahe, which incorporates ginger. Traditionally, straight blends are consumned on their own, whilst kopi beverages that incorporate deviant ingredients are far more popular to pair with meals, as well as to serve in street-side stands in busier regions.

Historically, the utilization of Kopi ties itself to the cultural presence and exploration of the Tahamaja thalassocracy into the western Ozeros, where interactions with modern day Kembesa and M'biruna led to a discovery, popularity, and utilization of the Coffea genus. It quickly grew in popularity, filling in a niche of meal-time engagement that was not as active with the more pastime Teh consumption. The spread of Coffee throughout the Ozeros eastwards hence came largelly in part from Tahamajan maritime trade, spreading as far as to Oxidentale proper.

Teh

Known in most cultures as tea, Pulaui Teh comes from the utilization of endemic herbs in traditionally medicinal and health-focused effect, acting as a predecessor to what contemporary society sees as supplementary, nutrition focused addatives. However, as the beverages grew, so did the sociocultural impact of their consumption, with a normative idea of regular tea consumption existing independing of meals, focusing less on it's presence at the table, and rather of the importance of it's presence in isolation. Whilst the introduction of black teas pulled further away from the herbal teas that shaped this activity, they were still used for the similar purpose, and thus the consumption of Teh is a household pastime throughout the archipelago.

Teas traditionally fall into two categories; Susu teh, which is any tea using black tea, and Wedang teh, which is any tea using herbs to create the drink instead. Susu Teh consists of modern, popular milk teas, or those using emphasizing sweetness and froth, through the addition of crystalized sugars (Teh Poci), or blending egg yolk (Teh Tahlua). In the international setting, it is Susu Teh that finds more popularity, given their general sweetness and capacity to pair well in a cafe setting. Wedang Teh, in the opposite, is the steeped byproduct of various herbs and plants that ae valued for their historical usage in health, as well as traditionally stronger, deviant flavorings. In the modern setting, three forms of this Teh stand most popular, being ginger(Teh Jahe), lemongrass (Teh Tanglad) and pandan leaf (Teh Pandan). Whilst these were traditionally steeped on their own, modern usage often sees the addition of palm sugar to these beverages to counteract strong, bitter tastes.