Malgravean cuisine
Malgravean cuisine has been influenced massively by historic events such as the Great Exodus, the Malgravean Civil War and more recently during the Lost Decade, a lot of cooking styles and practices around eating also vary per region and so the country doesn’t have one style of cooking but many with some similarities and common treats.
Since the end of isolation, a few analysts have noted an increase in influence from Breheim, Kouralia, Crystal Spires and the Dornalian Republic, especially, in relation to the provision of food to migrant communities, however, the canteen and community kitchen system employed in Malgrave and changes seen during after the end of the civil war has meant that traditional Malgravean cuisine has remained quite popular amongst the population.
History
Pre-Exodus
Pre-Exodus food in Malgrave was largely similar but had some minor variations, as the different regional climates in the old homeland meant that seasonal vegetables used in meals had more variations and different fish species were also caught. A major difference between meals of that era compared to today was the presence of meat, such products weren't entirely common in Malgravean cooking, however, some meals included the provision of meat stews and also fried chicken which was commonly eaten with alcohol.
During the Great Exodus merchant ships carrying livestock to the new homeland were sunk by Imerian vessels, and these old meals were not carried over into the new land.
Civil War
In the early years of resettlement, the Malgravean people were under a strict system of rationing and many goods such as butter, milk and eggs were highly restricted due to shortages. At this time, the Malgravean people were also experiencing a severe housing shortage and many people slept together in arrangements referred to as communal housing, as a result, communal meals became increasingly popular and most people ate together in local ASG centres.
It is this portion of history which is credited with popularising canteens within Malgravean society, and a majority of the population eat their food either in workplace canteens or establishments set up in apartment complexes. In the Socialist Republic these shortages are linked to the creation of Oval Cakes and in Rensk with the invention of Potato Cakes.
Lost Decade
In the Lost Decade, a lot of the country faced hardship due to the economic turmoil of the time. A succession of natural disasters and troubles with crop production also resulted in food shortages and large lines at canteens and MalTra stores were quite common sites which also contributed to an increase in MIDD-related deaths. In response, a lot of the population came to rely on charitable assistance from the ASG, an event that hadn't been seen in Malgrave since the darkest days of the civil war.
It is said that a lot of traditions now popular in Aria were formed in this area, as the population sought to distance themselves from the civil war and clung on to a lot of practices brought over from ASG officials that had journeyed over from Omsk to assist the locals.
Grand Recovery
In 2000 Malgrave re-entered the international community and began to trade openly with its neighbours again, and the influx of tourists and migrants has been linked to several changes within Malgrave.
Breheim has historically had close ties with Malgrave due to their previous support for the Socialist Republic, however, the influx of Breheimian migrants to fill jobs in the Research Colony has meant that many local canteens in this region have meat options in their menus, including some meals from Breheim itself.
Closening relations between Crystal Spires and Malgrave, and the popularity of Spirean migrants in educational and healthcare roles has meant that Spirean migrants have also had a major impact on local cuisine, with the creation of dragon's beard candy linked to the arrival of Spireans, plus Spirean tea blends have become quite popular in the country and impacted local tea practices.
A small number of Kouralians existed in Malgrave before the end of isolation, however, the tightness of relations between the two countries and the connection between the Research Colony and Kouralia has also been linked to an increase in meat options in the country, although, some have also linked such increases to the Dornalians, especially, as one of the most popular worker-cooperative supermarkets in the country is a Dornalian brand which often stocks products from Dornalia.
A more eccentric addition to the country has been linked to the popularity of kobolds (also known in Malgrave as small dragons), as a variant of fish/puffin bread stuffed with a meat or fish filling has been created called herobold or dragon bread due to it being created to serve visiting kobolds.
Meals
Breakfast
In territories that were formerly part of the Socialist Republic, a popular breakfast dish are small thick pancakes called Oval Cakes which are made by combining buckwheat flour (although wheat flavour is sometimes used as well), eggs, milk and sugar (with occasional additions of seasonal or dried fruits). Oval Cakes are either served with cream but can also be eaten with sweet jams and honey.
Workers from Rensk also came to adopt Potato Cakes, which are made from a batter of wheat flour, milk and eggs which are joined by shredded raw potatoes. Potato Cakes are then fried in butter and tend to look like thin pancakes, they are either served with butter or a seasonal jam (often lingonberry)
In mountainous territories such as Pakosc and Omsk, a common breakfast for the region involves a simple oatmeal dish made with hot milk and oats with seasonal fruits and honey being a common addition to the dish.
Aria and other territories that were part of the National Workers’ Republic have a popular breakfast dish called saucer cakes, a type of savoury pancake also made with buckwheat flavour that is often eaten with various soft cheeses or eaten alongside smoked or unsmoked fish sausages.
Breakfast in Epping is typically quite light, and most within the city and the surrounding areas often have seasonal fruit for breakfast, although a common choice is also to eat one of the varieties of breakfast pastry that is found in small cafes in Epping.
A popular choice in Epping is a circular bread typically referred to as ancestral bread due to its circular shape, and the fact that it was developed within the kitchens of the ASG HQ in Epping. It is typically eaten with seasonal jams and when time permits, drunk with tea.
Aurora and Portmon do not have specific dishes created with breakfast in mind, and sometimes other regional dishes such as ancestral bread and oval cakes are enjoyed by those, although it is typically seen as a sign of a chaotic life or even bad cooking at home.
Instead, a selection of rice and side dishes (such as fermented vegetables), soups and stews are consumed instead. Whenever possible people also eat leftovers for breakfast, and people from Aurora and Portmon are known for occasionally preparing too much food simply to have it for breakfast the following morning.
Middle Meal
After breakfast, the next meal in Malgrave is referred to simply as the middle meal, and it has varying importance across the country with it being the most important in some regions but the least in others.
In the cities of Pakosc and Rensk, the middle meal is considered to be important from a social perspective as historically it was a time in which families would eat together during breaks in a number of the factories that make up the industrial city, however, the food consumed is often quite light and is mostly made up of stuffed vegetables and soups which are designed to instil workers with the energy that they need to continue the work day effectively.
In Aria and Omsk, the middle meal is considered to be a more important part of the day and is regarded as the most important meal of the day. In Omsk, this is linked to the work of the Ancestral Study Group, as the middle meal is often used by those studying in the ASG to summarise their thoughts of the day and it’s used by other residents in the city to take a break from the often cold weather in the city. In Rensk, the tradition is quite recent and it has been linked to practices that flowed in from Omsk during the Lost Decade when the ASG was most active in the city providing charitable work.
Portmon and Aurora hold no particular importance towards the middle meal, as their breakfasts are typically quite large compared to others in Malgrave. Instead, a majority of people from these regions will often just eat a smaller version of what they ate during breakfast with leftovers again being a common part of this process.
Sometimes during important national holidays or outdoor activities such as hikes or picnics middle meals can become more important in Portmon and Aurora, however, they are commonly just versions of late meals which are brought forward for the occasion.
In Epping, the middle meal is considered to be the most important meal of the day and a variety of foods are eaten during these meals, a majority of popular main meal variations involve local seafood which is combined with either a form of pasta or rice, a complement of this is often garlic bread but other popular local items are dumplings which are either stuffed with seasonal vegetables or local cheeses before being lightly fried.
Late Meals
Late meals are the last meals eaten in Malgrave, as with other meals their importance in the day varies per region with some holding them as the most important meal of the day while others see them as the time to have a light snack before bed.
In the industrial cities of Pakosc and Rensk, the late meal is seen as the most important meal of the day, however, the importance of such a meal is held differently by people depending on their social circumstances. For some, the late meal is an opportunity for workers to socialise together and canteens around factories in both Pakosc and Rensk are often quite busy as workers from the city eat together and blow off steam from a hard day's work, however, for others in these regions it is an opportunity to spend time with family.
If visiting Pakosc or Rensk, a common question asked is if you intend to eat at the local canteen or at a place closer to home, as the response often indicates if the respondent is in a relationship or not.
A variety of seasonal vegetable stews are often eaten during these late meals, however, smoked fish sausages and river fish with charred vegetables are also popular additions depending on the time of year.
Epping doesn’t hold particular importance for late meals, as they consider the middle meal to be the most important meal of the day, a majority of Epping residents eat seasonal salads during late meals. In fact, those journeying from other parts of the country often struggle to find something to eat at these times, as a majority of restaurants close at this time and only workplace canteens are open to serve those with irregular working hours.
In Omsk, the late meal is regarded as an important part of the day socially, as this is when family members and those studying at local ASG centres meet and summarise their day together in a collective setting. It is this reason which has promoted many canteens to remain open to the early hours of the morning, as a part of this light salads and sweet treats are often enjoyed with tea and sweet jelly drinks.
Aria has also started to adopt these practices, again related to the lost decade, however, it is also related to the civil war and the need by many to attach themselves to standards seen as being loyalist.
Sweets
After the most important meal of the day (either the middle meal or late meal) Malgraveans often enjoy food items which are referred to as sweet treats or simply sweets.
A popular dish with children is fruit soup. It consists of juice from berries (such as lingonberries) but is thickened with a thickening agent (often cornstarch but some substitutes can be used). It can be eaten either hot or cold, and is sometimes served with hot cream and can be served with pancakes or ice cream. If less thickening agent is used fruit soup can also be made into a drink which is a popular drink with the Pioneers and Free Democratic Youth.
In Epping, a variant of ancestral bread has been popular since the 60s with its origins often attributed to a simple mistake which resulted in a sweetened version of the popular breakfast treat being made. Malgraveans refer to these variants as ancestral cakes, and they are often enjoyed with fruit soup or by themselves.
Originally from Pakosc, a popular sweet dish across Malgrave are filled pancakes. After making the dough for these pancakes and allowing them to rise, they are stuffed with a mixture of fillings which can differ per region with chopped peanuts, honey, cinnamon and sugar being some of the common fillings.
In Portmon and Aurora, a popular treat is fish or puffin bread, a fish or puffin-shaped pastry which is either stuffed with red bean paste, pastry cream or chocolate. Such treats are now commonly sold across the country in street stalls and are quite popular treats during important national holidays such as Ancestor Day.
In the last twenty years, another popular sweet treat called dragon's beard candy has also become popular across the country. Its preparation is quite intricate and is a process that often takes years to master, as it involves carefully weaving many parts together. Its introduction has been accredited to Spirean migrants who put together stalls of the candy to provide sweet treats to people celebrating Ancestor Day.
Drinks
Beyond unthickened fruit soup, Malgrave has a multitude of non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages that are enjoyed during the course of the day, with perhaps the most popular of these drinks being Teslaade, an apple-flavoured fizzy drink which is named after Nikola Tesla.
Besides these options, a few other drinks are popular across Malgrave such as banana milk, soy milk and various types of flavoured water, with banana milk being quite popular around Portmon while flavoured waters are more common in Pakosc.
Malgrave also has a strong tea culture, with regional variants of green tea, barley tea and red tea, although, Portmon, Aurora and Omsk are known for having the most popular blends in the country often with a fierce debate between individuals from the three locations rising up over who has the best tea.
Alcoholic beverages are also quite varied in Malgrave. In Portmon, a popular alcoholic beverage is unclear wine named so as the drink is fermented naturally and so is quite opaque. It is sweet and can often be quite thick so is traditionally served in a bowl as opposed to a cup. In overseas locations, it has also been called fight milk a term which is often credited as a Dornalian invention.
One of the most popular alcoholic beverages in the country is dewsot, a clear and colourless distilled alcoholic beverage which is traditionally consumed neat, although it is occasionally mixed with beer. Its alcohol content varies between 12% to 60% (ABV) with the average rating being around 20%. Dewsot is made with the grain of wheat, rice and barely and is commonly produced around Aurora.
In Pakosc and Rensk, popular alcoholic beverages are beers brewed from rice and traditionally local trade unions brewed their own beers and wines which they sold to help raise money for union activities and charitable efforts. Whisky/Whiskey is also produced in Pakosc, with six worker-owned distilleries set-up in the region which produce both wheat and malt whisky/whiskey.
Aurora also has a whiskey/whisky industry of its own, with three major producers of the drink, although, unlike whiskey produced in Pakosc this drink is developed from rice and is a development from the rice wine industry.
Etiquette
In family settings, it is typical for the eldest to be the first to eat, a recent tradition which lends itself to the discovery of MIDD which resulted in more respect being paid to elderly members of the family during such gatherings. In non-family settings, this often means that the most senior member of a group in terms of employment rank or years spent at the company often eats first, however, this practice is not common.
In Omsk, Aria, Pakosc and Rensk mealtimes can be quite lively with fierce debate over philosophical concepts around ascension being common in places like Omsk. In Pakosc and Rensk debate often revolves around elements of recent trade union activity and sporting events and the latter have somewhat of a negative reputation in the country for being loud eaters.
Meals in Epping, Portmon and Aurora are often more silent affairs, however, the advent of more communal dining experiences following the Great Exodus has meant that more conversation has crept into these meal times, especially, with the influx of more migrants and some inspiration from Dystan dining experiences.
Sailors from Aurora and Portmon are also known to occasionally use coarse language when sharing meals together in local canteens and restaurants, especially, when alcohol is involved. In both locations it has become customary for some local establishments to reward sailors for good behaviour, and a common joke in the region is that many local coupling ceremony are the result of such good behaviour.
Across all meals in Malgrave, a common practice is to recite a small message in thanks to the Ancestors, such a message is typically longer in Omsk due to the perceived spiritual connection between food and the ancestors. Often other religious practices are intertwined, especially, in cases where foreign guests are being entertained and it is considered extremely rude to mock these practices or refrain from thanking the ancestors.
Most meals in Malgrave are eaten with chopsticks and a long-handled shallow spoon although forks are often given to children before they switch to chopsticks.