#ulisamsi

Today I had the honor of holding a conversation with Ulisamsi Saddarnuran over a meal at her hut in Mar Gaan. Saddarnuran is of Ashlander origin, and she was kind enough to sit down with me and answer some questions about her past.

Mehra Andrano: Ulisamsi, thank you for letting me into your home.

Ulisamsi: Bah, it is of no difference. You house Dunmer are all the same anyways. You nudge yourselves in, bearing no gift, and still expect hospitality. But it is what I have come to expect. It's been 20 years since I left my yurt and came to the Mar Gaan outpost to try my hand at mining. I suppose it's treated me well enough. Now. Ask your questions.

Mehra: Ahem.... yes, so. To get right to it, I want to touch on basic cooking processes. I've never seen an oven like you have in your Redoran-style hut at any Ashlander camp. How do you usually cook food?

Ulisamsi: Simple. We don't. Unless it has to be. Preparing food elaborately and extensively was saved for special occasions. I see your face, Mehra. Don't try to hide your disgust now. You must understand from a most basic perspective: our traditional cooking methods of fire-and-spit, though delicious, is impractical most of the time. We need every bit of energy from our foods. Allowing the fat of a decadent roasted Alit to burn off into the fire is not always practical. More so, we don't always have the luxury to boil the meat in nutrient-retaining water for obvious reasons.

Mehra: Obvious reasons?

Ulisamsi: I don't know the last time you ventured away from the comforts of Vivec, but there just isn't water literally pouring from the walls in the ashlands. Water is a scarce commodity, and we use it solely for hydration when we aren't camped near a water source. All water we consume is essentially a sort of "tea." First, we strain the water to remove large ash particles and other debris. The strained liquid is poured into a large vat. Into this vat we add three crushed trama roots and set it over hot coals overnight. Before Azura's dawn begins, the vat is sealed shut and placed in a dark yurt, away from all sources of direct heat. For three days it sits untouched. On the fourth day, the vat is unsealed. Again we strain the liquid and pour it into alit skins. The water is now potable and safe, with the added benefits of the trama root.

Mehra: Can you describe the taste of this concoction?

Ulisamsi: I know I said "tea," and that's mostly what it is. But I've seen another liquid the house elves cook with, what they call "vinegar." Yes, that is what it tastes like. A sort of mild, thin vinegar.

Mehra: Absolutely fascinating. Now Ulisamsi, you mentioned earlier some "traditional cooking methods," ones that used a spit?

Ulisamsi: Of course. What do you take ashlanders for, savages? Our lives are not full of raw meats and roots some of the time. During times of plenty, or when making camp at a water-rich site, or during holidays, we will prepare our foods with fire. A meal I always liked to prepare and eat is a kagouti one. Female kagouti, when young, tend to be more tender and juicy than the males. When I had my hands on this delicacy, I knew just what to do. I'd first task a young mer to dig a pit while I began a roaring fire nearby. After the pit was dug, I would shove the hot coals into the pit. Next, the kagouti carcass was lowered. Atop the flesh was layered many blades of scathecraw, first enough so that you couldn't see the kagouti underneath, then a second layer so that you couldn't see the first. Finally, more searing coals were stacked on top. All night the meat was cooked, and we'd have to take shifts tending the coals and adding more to keep it hot. By the time the sun was in the same place it was the day before, it was ready. It was removed from the pit with the same chitin spears used to kill the beast. Next, it was quartered. Each quarter was set on a large plate, and a strong mer with two blades in each hand would continuously chop at the kagouti until finely minced. The resultant dish, though labor intensive, was a simple meal of minced kagouti and scathecraw. But the flavor of the meat--oh! There is no way to describe the taste on your tongue.

Mehra: I will try to imagine. As my last question, I want some clarification. Modern Dunmeri food is generally a spicy, fatty cuisine that encompasses many different ingredients. How is that different from the ashlander cuisine?

Ulisamsi: Ashlander food is simple. Rarely did one of my recipes use more than five ingredients. These house dunmer, their food leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Too much going on at once. It feels like the flavors are fighting over one another. Bah. Perhaps that is on purpose, an allegory for their precious politics. Enough. The candle is about burnt out now, and Azura's dusk is already deep. The time has come for you to leave my home Mehra Andrano. I do not run a hostel.