Some Imperial nobles will be comeing to my camp soon to see if they should support my -RIGHTFUL!- claim to the empire and i am looking to inpress them. In particular i am looking for food that would be interesting to the palets of these "refined" humans, while also showing my knowledge of food from the days of Al-Esh.
Many Thanks, Morihaus VII, RIGHTFUL Emporer pf Cyrodiil.
Dear...*squints at the politically subversive time-traveling letter, wondering how this keeps happening* esteemed Morihaus,
Admittedly, I had to delve deep into the library at the College of Winterhold to discover anything about First Era Nedic Cyrodiilic cuisine. Not much survives in the way of culinary records from the time of Alessia, but what we do know can be compared against the food of their Ayleid masters as a point of reference.
As slaves under the Ayleids, the races of Men were granted little in the way of luxury. As such, their newfound freedom meant that a whole new world was opened to them; food was no longer based on scraps and the dregs of what the Ayleids did not want, and liberation from slavery meant a dizzying expanse of culinary possibilities never before enjoyed by the Men of Cyrodiil.
Nedic food in particular may be of interest in the recreation of early Cyrodiilic cuisine. Some speculate that it is the precursor to Nordic and north Nibenay cuisine as we know it today, and I refer to traditional Cyrodiilic gastronomy in particular to recreate the cuisine of the Cyrodiilic Nedes of the First Era. However, Alessia's rebellion spanned the the Province, and I also take into account Nibenese and Blackwood culinary traditions in this speculation. Tying them together creates an interesting, harmonious constellation of flavours that, when considered, is the birth of the Imperial cuisine we know today.
Unlike the Ayleids, the Men at the time ate what was readily available to them, and developed a culinary tradition based on what they could either forage or hunt for themselves, or ate the food that the Ayleids did not want. Animal byproducts and much meat in particular was of little interest to the Ayleids, and thus became a staple part of the diets of their slaves. Milk, eggs, and meat were thus initially favoured, though liberation meant that Men were granted access to the gastronomic delights enjoyed by their former masters. However, for fairly obvious reasons, beef was not preferred due to its ties to Morihaus. They also began the cultivation of grain in earnest for the first time, thus expanding the variety of starches in their diet to include bread and noodles, as a change from the simple potatoes and root vegetables they were used to.
Over time, palates refined to take into consideration the full breadth of what food the Province had to offer. Whilst still being primarily meat- and grain-based, fish and vegetable dishes that were once reserved for the Ayleids expanded into the diets of Men in the region, who developed their own preferred flavour profiles, which were rich and full-bodied in comparison to the light flavours enjoyed by the Ayleids. Furthermore, archaeological excavations have uncovered bottles used for wine and Cyrodiilic brandy, indicating that the Imperial love for these beverages stretches well back through history.
From what we have gathered, I have thus created a small banquet menu that reflects post-Alessian Cyrodiilic cuisine of the First Era befitting nobles of the time.
Honeyed cave-aged hard cheese, with millet crackers
Smoked Rumare slaughterfish pâté, with vegetable crudités
Garlic breadsticks, with black olive tapenade
South Nibenay oyster omelette, with hot peppers
Whole roast pig, with fruit and nut stuffing
Nibenese mudcrab gratin, with whipped goat cheese
Rare venison steak, with garlic and Jerall Mountains juniper gravy
Fried duck Blackwood style, with a selection of spiced sauces
Coffee cake, with Blackwood coffee liqueur and mascarpone
Brandy raisin trifle, with brandy custard
Nibenese honey and ricotta slice, with chopped nuts
Caramel buns, with butterscotch creme patissiere
