<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=194612.msg9623189#msg9623189">Quote from: Changingsaint on 21-02-2014, 01:38:27</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Since my character does kind of have cooking as a hobby, what sort of animals/etc are eaten on the isle? What counts as 'staples' of the people's diet? If that isn't too specific - just kinda curious.<br/></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button"> Cuisine of Eis</div><div class="spoiler_body">Eis has always had good luck with fishing, so salt water fish are a common source of protein. It is ground into paste, boiled, smoked, kippered, as sushi... there are dozens of ways of preparing fish, from small anchovies, to larger sea bream, even the occasional shark or octopus finds its way into the kitchen. Caviar, which is an export, is also fairly commonly used in cooking, or enjoyed as a snack. Expensive in other regions, caviar is easily cultivated by the fisher-people of Eis.<br/><br/>In addition to fish, other sources of meat on the island comes in the form of venison, from the plentiful reindeer, and snowshoe hare's. (As an aside, hare fur and reindeer leather hides are used in clothes manufacturing). Salted reindeer fat, called Salo, is often part of trail rations, as it lasts long, and provides a calorie-dense, lightweight food item.  It is, however, an acquired taste.<br/><br/>In terms of non-meat, Eis does not grow much locally. Seeds extracted from the pine cones of the ever-abundant evergreens, are blanched and ground into a sort of flour. Flatbread is baked from this, some times with sugar and spices added to make it a sweet treat. This flour is also used in making pancakes, as well as just about any other baked good. Sap can be gathered from the evergreens as well, and boiled into syrup. Although not as sweet as maple, it's still something heavily enjoyed.  Even the needle-like leaves of the evergreens are gathered and boiled into a tea that, while not being particularly tasty, still contains a chunk of daily required minerals and vitamins. <br/><br/>A single fruit, and a single vegetable are home to Eis. Arctic potatoes have thick, pure-white skins, and actually can grow in the snow itself; a feat not accomplished by any other root vegetable in the world. These potatoes form a staple crop, as they are filling, and quite flavorful. Other vegetables are imported from other countries, chief amongst them being red cabbage, carrots, parsnip, celery, and onion. <br/><br/>Red berries grow on Eis, along a strange form of creeping ivy that tends to cling to trees. These berries start off as a blood red in color, but when ready to eat, are bright red. The berries are a super-food, packed with vitamins A, C, D, and E, and are also the sweetest thing one can find on Eis. They are usually eaten on their own, or made into jam or fruit preserves, and smeared onto bread. Other fruits are also imported to Eis, this being mostly citrus fruits, as well as apples. <br/><br/>Cooking in Eis is generally straightforward, simple, and favors sea salt, as it is the only naturally produced seasoning they can make. Imported spices and herbs tend to be quite expensive, and when available, are never fresh; the dried and powdered variety lasts much better in the frigid cold. Garlic is pretty popular, so it is by far the cheapest. <br/><br/>Related to food, is the subject of beer. When mankind first started to hunker down and figure out what does what, one of the very first things they came up with was fermentation. The people of Eis like drinking just as much as the rest of the world, although their selection of alcohol is fairly limited. Vodka, made from arctic potatoes, is popular; and a local brewing company makes a sappy, nutty tasting beer from pine needles and seeds. <br/><br/>In the past five years, a winery has actually opened in the capital; the first of its kind. They currently sell expensive imported wines, but also brew "Red River" wine, from the red berries that are native to Eis. <br/></div></div>I think that about covers it. If anybody else has any requests, let me know.