Food of Thedas

Hello all! It's been a minute, but with the publication of the official Dragon Age cookbook, we're inspired to continue expanding upon the existing lore of Thedosian food culture.

You'll see some brand new recipes from us shortly! As always, we are open to your suggestions, feedback and headcanons.

Thanks for sticking with us!

As poached pears in wine is such common fare, one could be excused for not knowing the origins for this elegant dessert lie in Markham. Crisp, mildly sweet pears are soaked in a rich spiced confit and served hot, warm or cold as the guest prefers.

Ingredients

Half a cup of sugar

One piece of orange peel

Eight to ten whole cloves

One stick of cinnamon

Two cups of red wine

Half a cup of water, or the juice of an orange

Paste from one vanilla bean

Half a cup of raspberries, pitted sour cherries or blackberries

Three to six medium-sized pears

Directions

Place all ingredients except pears in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Bring the red wine to a simmer while stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Once the wine comes to a simmer, strain the liquid to remove seeds and fruit pulp. Discard the seeds and fruit pulp, but keep the cloves, orange peel and cinnamon and add back into the pot along with the liquid.

Peel the pears when the poaching liquid is ready and lower into the pot.

Let the pears poach in the liquid on medium-low heat at a simmer for twenty to twenty-five minutes. Rotate the pears every five minutes to ensure they poach evenly on all sides.

Once the poaching is complete, remove the pot from heat and allow to cool. Before serving, remove the pears from the liquid.

Heat the liquid in the pot and bring to a simmer until thickened into a syrup. Thin out with water if too thick.

Serve with syrup and a dollop of cream or iced cream.

Notes

The original recipe calls specifically for locally grown Markham pears and a rich, Antivan red. Other pears and Orlesian wine may, of course, substitute.

(in honor of whoever asked about pasta in the Veilguard Q&A, here's a recipe mentioned in Tevinter NIghts)

Though now a favorite of all classes of Antiva, this dish was born among the shepherds whose sheep provide the pecorino used herein. It is said in some circles that the simplicity of the dish makes hiding poison more difficult. The people in these circles are remarkably ignorant of the skill of the Antivan Crows.

Ingredients

A pound of spaghetti or similar pasta

A third of a pound of finely grated well-aged pecorino

Salt and a generous portion of pepper, freshly ground

Directions

Cook the pasta in salted water until it is al dente and drain, reserving a cup of the cooking water.

Return the pasta to the pan. Little by little, add some of the cheese and cooking water, all the while stirring vigorously.

Put the pan back over a low flame while you stir so that the cheese melts in the water to form creamy sauce. If it is too dry, use more of the water.

Serve, sprinkled with plenty of pepper.

Chestnut cake was served at the most recent Fereldan coronation, albeit in a much grander form. I am told that the famed Orlesian gourmand, Lady de Manger, attended, and called it "unsophisticated and coarse." Given that this variation, made by a well-schooled home cook, is simply sublime, I find my self rather skeptical.

- The Nug Eater

Ingredients

One pound of shelled chestnuts

One and a quarter cups of milk

Five ounces of bitter or dark chocolate

Three and a half cups blanched almonds or walnuts, coarsely chopped

Nine tablespoons of unsalted butter and more to grease the pan

A cup and three tablespoons of very fine sugar

Five large eggs, the whites and yolks separated

The grated rind of 1 lemon

Two or three tablespoons of brandy

Flour to dust the pan

Directions

Simmer the chestnuts in enough milk to cover them for a quarter hour so the soften. Drain them, discarding the milk.

Grind together all the nuts until they form a soft mass.

Cream the butter and sugar, adding the egg yolks, one at a time, the grated rind, and the brandy. Add this to the nut mixture and mix thoroughly.

Beat the egg white until stiff, then fold them into the nuts and chocolate. You will need to mix in some of the egg whites before properly folding in the rest, as the chestnut mixture is stiff at this stage.

Pour the result into a buttered and floured cake tin. Bake it at the usual temperature for cakes. A ten inch cake pan will take about three quarters of an hour, perhaps a few minutes more. Let it cool before removing it for the pan, and serve it cold.

As honey mead is a staple in Chasind everyday life, it makes sense to find it in their food as well as on the table. This recipe combines succulent pieces of cold-weather pheasant, tender slices of wild mushroom and a sweet-savoury sauce bursting with flavour—bitterness not included.

Ingredients

Four pheasant thighs or breasts

Three tablespoons butter

One small onion, chopped

Four ounces of wild mushrooms

Two to three sprigs of fresh parsley, chopped

One teaspoon of lemon juice

Five ounces of honey mead

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Fry the pheasant pieces in the butter until browned. Put aside in a heavy dish.

Add the onion to the pan and fry for two to three minutes, until softened. Add the mushrooms, parsley, lemon juice, mead and salt and pepper. Stir well and cook for a further three minutes, then pour over the pheasant.

Cover and cook in a medium-hot oven for an hour.

Notes

Cold-weather pheasant is the most readily available game bird for the Chasind Wilders, but other birds such as goose, duck or chicken may be used.

Ursula,

I agree with you—believe me. It is ridiculous to waste such time picking violets for this drink. What you must understand is that Tevinter magisters are a study in excess. A simple glass of white wine is not enough. It must be pleasing in colour, taste and presentation.

I’ve always thought Vints and Orlesians are both sides of the same coin. Try telling that to either of them, and I’ll deny I ever said it.

Senior Enchanter Arvin

Ingredients

Six cups of fragrant violet blossoms

Four cups of mild white wine

Honey to taste

Small drawstring linen sack

Directions

Pick two cups of violets at a time. Strip blossoms from the stems, discarding the green parts.

Place the petals in the sack and suspend in the white wine in a wide-mouthed jar. Cover and allow to sit for one week. Repeat this process twice, discarding the used petals in between.

Sweeten to taste with honey and serve.

Notes

A similar wine, ‘Rosatium’, may be created by infusing rose petals in place of violets

This wine has a laxative effect if drunk in large amounts! Beware.

Nehraa-aqun, ‘for balance’, is a savoury braised chicken-and-vegetable stew for those long, hot days and cold nights. Served from northern Rivain to Par Vollen, it has everything an athlok needs—tender pieces of chicken for protein, and root vegetables soaked in bone broth for good health. Small handfuls of foreign spices are an allowance the Arigena overlooks.

Ingredients

Eight chicken thighs, skin on and bone in

Two tablespoons of olive oil

Two medium potatoes, peeled, cut into one-and-a-half inch chunks

One medium sweet potato, peeled, cut into one-and-a-half inch chunks

Two medium carrots, peeled, cut into inch-long pieces

Two medium yellow onions, diced

Salt and pepper

One-and-a-half cups of chicken broth

One-and-three-quarter teaspoon paprika

One-and-a-quarter teaspoon turmeric

Half a teaspoon garlic powder

Three bay leaves

Directions

Generously season the salt and pepper. Set a heavy pot over a medium-high flame and heat olive oil until hot. Place the chicken thighs into the pan, skin side down, and cook undisturbed for seven to eight minutes, until skin is dark golden brown and crispy. Turn and cook for an additional three to four minutes. This may need to be done in batches.

Remove chicken from the pan and set aside. Fry the potato and carrots for around eight minutes, stirring gently during cooking, until vegetables are browned and crisp. This may also need to be done in batches. Remove from pot and set aside.

Add onions and one-quarter teaspoon of salt to the oil and stir to coat. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Let cook for around ten minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the chicken broth, paprika, turmeric, garlic powder and bay leaves. Set aside.

Uncover the pot and continue to cook the onions over medium-high heat, stirring until they soften and begin to caramelize. Add half the cooking liquid back to the pot and stir to combine with the onions. Add the chicken and spoon over the remaining cooking liquid.

Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for an hour, or until the chicken is tender and falling off the bones. Add the vegetables back to the pot and turn to coat. Raise heat to medium and simmer uncovered for another fifteen minutes, until cooking liquid has reduced and vegetables are tender. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve with light bread to soak up the excess liquid.

Seafood is not solely the province of the north-east. This recipe is a local favourite in Cumberland, where the catch of the day is gently poached and served in a salty-savoury cream sauce. Pair with a Montfort sauvignon blanc for a light, bright flavour combination.

Ingredients

For the fish:

Four flatfish fillet steaks

One medium onion, thinly sliced

Two tablespoons chopped parsley

Water to cover

Salt and pepper

For the cream sauce:

One small onion, chopped

One anchovy, pounded

Two tablespoons of sherry

Two teaspoons of wine vinegar

Six peppercorns

A pinch each of nutmeg and mace

One tablespoon of butter

One tablespoon of flour

Six tablespoons of cream

Directions

Lay the onion slices on the bottom of a pan. Sprinkle over parsley then lay the flatfish on top. Season well, and pour over just enough water to cover the fish. Cover with a lid and gently poach for fifteen to twenty minutes. Leave in the water until ready to serve, then drain.

To make the sauce, simmer the onion, anchovy, sherry, vinegar, and spices in a double boiler until the onion is soft. Using another saucepan, melt the butter and stir in the flour, then mix well until smooth.

Add the mixture from the double boiler and simmer, stirring constantly, until smooth and cooked through. Add the cream, stir well, then strain and serve with the fish.

Nug! In a jug! How quaint.

Ingredients

One whole nug, skinned, gutted and boiled

Two to three slices of bacon

Two to three sprigs each of rosemary, sage, fennel and thyme

Two cloves of garlic, minced

Four whole cloves

Half a teaspoon of allspice

Two carrots

Two onions

Salt and pepper

One pint of water

Two glasses of sherry

Directions

Cut the nug into portions, and put into a heavy pot with a few slices of bacon over and under it. Add the remaining ingredients and stew around two-and-a-half hours, until the meat is tender and falling off the bones.

Remove the nug and bacon from the pot, de-bone and pound meat until reduced to shreds. If the mixture is a little dry, add some cooking liquid. If more seasoning is required, add a pinch of cayenne, salt and mace (if available).

Press the meat into pots, pour over melted butter, and store in a cool, dry place or preservation box. If desired, serve or store the remaining broth and vegetables as soup.

Serve with wedges of hard cheese and lichen bread.

Although this classic Antivan recipe calls for large portobellos, I can attest that there is at least one mushroom better suited. I do not know its name. I do not know what it looked like before it was cooked. But I know that, in a little cabin in a mining town just north of Wycome, an elderly dwarf served me slices from a mushroom the size of plate prepared in this way. They were newly arrived from Orzammar, where their family grew heirloom mushrooms, they told me with a sad smile. The cooking had turned the mushroom an unusual purplish red, which my host assured me was as it should be. And they were right. I can say, with all honesty, that I dream of that dish more than I do the finest Orlesian white truffles. Perhaps it's because I've had the good fortune to sample dishes with white truffle on several occasions, while, when I returned to the mining town the next year, the dwarf had moved on, and when I wrote to Orzammar I learned they had been the last of their line.

- Manuel Abelard, former chef de cuisine to Duke Bastien de Ghislain

Perfect for bribing children.

Ingredients

Two to three each of large oranges and lemons, thinly sliced, seeds removed

Two-and-a-half cups of sugar

One cup of water

Additional sugar

Directions

Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the fruit slices, gently stirring to separate and coat with sugar water. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for about forty-five minutes, stirring gently once in a while.

While the fruit is simmering, line a tray with parchment paper and spread a cup or two of sugar over, enough to create a layer.

Remove pan from heat and remove fruit slices from the syrup, allowing excess to drip back into the pan. Arrange the slices on a cooling rack and allow to drip and cool for half an hour or so. Flip and allow to rest a further half an hour.

Dredge fruit slices in sugar from the parchment paper, ensuring both sides are evenly coated. Arrange on the rack once more and allow to dry overnight.

A Chasind staple, using local Korcari frogs. The frogs are green, not the stew itself, but the name stuck.

Ingredients

Four to five frogs, skinned, cleaned, deboned and cut into portions

One bunch of wild onions, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper, to taste

Three to four tablespoons of fish sauce

Four cloves of garlic, chopped

One piece of galangal, peeled and thinly sliced

Three to four tablespoons of oil

One piece of ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced

One cup of brown sugar

Directions

Mix the brown sugar with a dash of water until a sticky paste forms. Add this paste to a large pot over a medium-high heat, until simmering.

Add the garlic and galangal and cook, stirring, for approximately five minutes. Add the fish sauce and cook for another three to four minutes. Add the frog, season with salt and pepper and stir to coat.

Cover pot and simmer for approximately fifteen to twenty minutes, until the meat is tender. Add water if the mixture begins to evaporate. Add a pinch of black pepper if desired. Stir to combine and serve.

Notes

The original recipe calls for a Chasind variety of fish sauce, made from anchovies, salt and water, with an intense flavour. Atuna ferment will do as a substitute, though the quantity may require adjustment.