Warcraft Snacks - a question of sustenance

[Bovel]

I like food. No, I love food. Nae, like really, really love food. Like a meme-kitten loves yarn and holes in the ceiling. So much in fact that I got an (unofficial) award for my interest in food - it's called a potbelly! But back to the serious stuff...

I find food and the culture that goes into it and surrounds it very interesting and I try my best to try to eat and even cook edibles from any time and any place. Recently I've found much reading on Tumblr. about food in fiction and has sparked some old thoughts of mine. I feel that culinary traditions really adds several levels of depth to any kind of fiction. Take the carnivore wood elves of Elder Scrolls, the because of religion abstain vegetable sources for food and has lead to the brewing of spirits on milk, blood and even juices from meats. AMAZING!

I've gathered and come up with quite a few recipes in my days of Warcraft roleplay, most when running a travelling tavern on a boat, but I'm curious on where other people stand on the topic of sustenance. What does the current lore tell about the races and areas culinary traditions and where can one find that lore? What assumptions are made about the various races and their preferences, possibly tied to stereotypes or parallels drawn to real life? Good that you are eager to answer but let's make this interesting by turning it into a little challenge.

              Rules

1. Come up with a dish or drink for the appointed Area/Culture/Race and your reasoning behind it. Be it similarities with food sold by vendors of that race or readily available in the area or whatever inspired you! Don't be intimidated by complex dishes because your suggestion can be as simple as cheese on toast... or just the toast. (If you have a lore basis, please share the source.)
   
2. If you cannot think of a dish or drink for the current theme and it feels currently dried up, feel free to decide a new Area/Culture/Race for us to "cook & brew".
   
3. (Feel free to discuss and comment previous mentions without taking part of the challenge, but it's more fun if most people try.)
   

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I'll start this off...
Theme - Nagrand

              Dry-aged shoulder of elekk in old milk
A big cut of elekk meat that has been left out in the sun for two-three weeks to dry and have been sheltered from rain. This makes it preserve much longer and is perfect to bring during travels because a few more days under the sun will only make it more tender. When the time has come to prepare it the outer layer is cut off and the shoulder is then left to rest in sour milk for as long as possible. The need for sour milk is also makes the dish great for travels since dairy products rarely stay fresh for long, but remains edible if cared to properly. Both the dry-aging and sour milk helps to tenderize the meat and all ingredients needed are readily available in Nagrand. Then shriveled, outer layer is cut off and the tenderized meat is slivered and briefly brazed on a hot surface. It's served with the milk it has rested in and a mash of mild roots to soften the sharp and heavy taste of the elekk.

(Based upon texts about the taste of elephant meat, saying it is a very dark meat with a strong taste that is reminiscent of elk and suitable for the starving. And a combination of two ways of tenderizing meat in general.)

[Bovel]

Well, this was a little bit of a great disappointment. Especially since so many of you, my netmates, have contacted me and discussed this wide topic over Skype and even in-game. I challenge @Geoni & @Caravan, feel free to choose themes!
Theme - Nagrand

              Dawn-to-dusk talbuk fricassee
A pit is dug into the ground in a place open to breezes to fuel the fire but shielded from the most forceful gales, to avoid firestorms. Large enough to encompass a pan big enough for the cut and a layer of embers about a palm thick. Before dawn a bonfire is lit in the pit and allowed to reduce to embers, then they are moved to the side to allow the pan to be lowered into the pit. It should be cradled in embers up to a tail's width below the rim of the pan and timed to be ready at rising of the sun.

The chuck ("neck") of talbuk is lowered into the pan together with buttermilk, preferably from talbuk but made from clefthoof milk will work too. A lid is put on and the meat is allowed to cook unchecked until noon. A generous portion of whole okra is added to the pan together with some saltwater, a fistful of clefthoof lard and paste made from tamarind. The lid is returned and the meat allowed to cook until the sun has arched to the point of Spires of Arakk (6 more hours). The tender meat and okra pods are slivered easily using a wooden stirrer. Lastly a faggot of okra leaves and a few chili fruits are crushed and added to the pan and the fricassee allowed to simmer until dusk when it is ready to be served. Commonly eaten with roasted roots or bones or even bread.

(I imagined talbuk being similar to antelope with a gamy taste and a toughness to most cuts. Buttermilk is often used to soften the bloody taste of game and tender the meat, which is also the effect of slow cooking. Pit cooking allows for other activities during the day, tending to a harvest or other parts from a successful hunt. Okra and tamarind are both greens growing on the savanna and the thickening properties of okra inspired this into a stew.)

[Geoni]

Theme - Booty Bay

Nebit z'kaklak - Drink of the Genius

Ingredients:

Ice
1/2 oz. of orange bitter
1 oz. of rum
2 oz. of Kaja Cola
A pinch of anise

Serves about 2 or 3 shot glasses, depending on the amount of ice used.

Information:

Ever since the inception of Kaja Cola, many Goblins have come up with different ways to down the stuff. Although the effects of alcohol come into conflict with the intelligence-enhancing properties of Kaja'mite, many of the race's heavy drinkers have preferred to mix it with liquor anyways. However, with kaja'mite having become more and more rare, the production of kaja'cola has taken a hit and the drink has skyrocketed in price. As a result of this, more and more Goblins are preferring to mix it into another drink to 'water it down' and make it last longer. One of the most famous kaja mixes is a drink known as Nebit z'kaklak, drink of the genius. The recipe was born in Booty Bay, one of Azeroth's rum capitals.

Preparation is simple: Get a shot glass, some ice, an orange bitter mix (or another bitter if unavailable), and any rum of your preference, and mix it with kaja'cola. For the best result in taste, follow the measurements given in the ingredients. If available, add just a pinch of anise to enhance the flavor. And that's it! Every Goblin's favorite on the rocks.

[Bovel]

Colour me inspired by the topic of drinks for goblinses!
Theme - Booty Bay

              Blackwald's Curse
Booty Bay is one of the few places where one can find a cherry grog from which this drink is inspired, despite the name it has no direct ties to Gilneas. Dried black cherries are left to soak in heated dark rum until it has cooled off. Equal parts infused rum is mixed with pulp and juice of crushed watermelon, a squeeze of lime juice and a pinch of mace (nutmeg flower) to top off the beverage. The name of the drink is made by parallels drawn between the dark luscious cherries put into the drink and the abyssal blackness of the Blackwald of Gilneas, although most cherries used for the drink is imported from Westfall or Elwynn Forest. It also mirrors the overhanging risk of heavy inebriation from consumption of the drink and lack of self-control under its influence.

(Cherry Grog is almost only sold by vendors with connections to seafaring and which is the RL origin of the grog - watering down the rum! I was also inspired by the classic Schwarzwald Gâteau)

[Jonoth]

Dear CotH, I'm sorry, but it has to be done.

Theme - DUN MOROGH

Remyl Steeley's Succulent Dwarf Sausage (aka Dun Morogh Hunter's Stew)

Ingredients

1 extra large sausage
1 fresh boar shoulder
1 ham hock
1 large onion
1 head of cabbage
1 kg wild mushrooms
1 tbsp black peppercorn
1 tbsp salt
1 stein of ale (Remyl uses his homemade honey mead)
1 cup pork fat

1. Heat up large pot of water with the dried mushrooms and submerge them for 20-40 minutes, or until soft. Grind or crush the black peppercorns roughly; you don’t want a powder. Cut the pork shoulder into large chunks, about 2 inches. Cut the sausages into similar-sized chunks. Clean off any dirt from the mushrooms and cut them into large pieces; leave small ones whole.

2. Heat the pork fat in a large lidded pot for a minute or two. Working in batches if necessary, brown the pork shoulder over medium-high heat. Do not crowd the pan. Set the browned meat aside.

3. Put the onion and fresh cabbage into the pot and sauté for a few minutes, stirring often, until the cabbage is soft. Sprinkle a little salt over them. The vegetables will give off plenty of water, and when they do, use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Once the pot is clean and the cabbage and onions soft, remove from the pot and set aside with the pork shoulder.

4. Add the mushrooms and cook them without any additional fat, stirring often, until they release their water. Once they do, sprinkle a little salt on the mushrooms. When the water is nearly all gone, add back the pork shoulder, the cabbage-and-onion mixture, and then everything else. Add the ale. Stir well to combine.

5. Bring everything to a simmer, cover the pot and cook gently for at least 2 hours.

6. Check at 2 hours, and then every 30 minutes after that. When the hock is tender, fish it out and pull off the meat and fat from the bones Discard the bones and the fat, then chop the meat roughly and return to the pot, at least 30 more minutes.

7. Serve with bread and ale.

[Geoni]

7. Serve with bread and ale.

And Remyl.

Theme - Bilgewater Harbor*

The Golden Burger

Named for it price of two gold, the golden burger is one of the most expensive items of food that one can find being served in the continent of Kalimdor. Bilgewater harbor is one of the only places where the burger can be found, although it didn't originate there. Legend has it that an unknown Goblin came up with the recipe, and that it was stolen by the owner of a restaurant in Bilgewater Harbor. It is debated as to whether or not even that Goblin came up with the recipe, but due to its culturally diverse set of ingredients, it would make sense that it was devised within a Goblin settlement.

What's this baby made from?

• Two extra-large homemade buns
  
• The meat patty (two options: kodo meat or cattle meat)
  
• Extra ingredients for the meat patty (varies, but it's usually an egg, a few teaspoons of milk, butter, pepper, parcly, and garlic alongside the truffle oil and mushrooms)
  
• Truffle oil - what strain this oil is made from is a well-guarded secret, also mixed with vegetable oil
  
• Bella mushrooms (for the patties)
  
• Fresh garlic
  
• Gruyere cheese
  
• Red onions, caramelized (with salt and sugar)
  
• Olive oil (for the onions)
  
• Butterhead lettuce
  
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
  
  

Before the burger can be prepared, all of these ingredients need to be gathered and still fresh by the time the burger is ordered, and that is a story in and of itself, a story best told by the chef his or herself. There are a number of different ways to prepare this burger, but the vital ingredients are the truffle oil, a patty that is prepared to be juicy, the gruyere cheese, the onions, the lettuce, and the mushrooms.

First off, the buns need to be made from scratch due to how large they need to be (around 8-9 inches in diameter), along with being glazed and topped with sesame and poppy seeds, if that is preferred by the chef. The buns need to be 8 inches in diameter and prepared with a slightly larger amount of butter and salt than used with regular buns.

The meat patty needs to be prepared with a large number of ingredients. Usually, the chuck is made from cattle, but some Tauren enjoy kodo meat, and if kodo meat is chosen, extra cooking measures need to be taken (the meat should also be smoked). The chuck needs to be ground until it's very fine. First, the mushrooms need to be sauteed with garlic until they're soft (should take about five minutes), topped with parsley, and then added into the finely ground chuck. The truffle oil, along with some salt and pepper, should be added in as well. Mix well, but do not make it compact, as the patty needs to be juicy. It should then be grilled for around five minutes on each side (grilling might take longer for kodo meat). The patty should be around four inches thick and as large as the bun in diameter. When it is finished, place it on a bottom bun.

The toppings should always be placed on top of the patty. The gruyere cheese should come from a large and fresh block, be broiled to melt, and six to eight slices worth of the cheese should be placed on top of the patty. The lettuce should be thin-cut, and two to four layers of it should be placed on top of the patty and cheese. Cook the onions with olive oil, for about ten minutes, until they're very translucent, and caramelize them with salt and sugar. The onion slices should be cut into strips and placed on top of the lettuce. Finally, add a top bun to the burger and serve.

*It is said that there is a cook in Ratchet that can also make this burger, if notified ahead of time. Definitely not one of my characters.

**Sorry if I didn't go into the specific amounts of each and every ingredient, that's just too much.

[Beltharean]

Theme
~~~
ALTERAC

Yeti Rippli


Rippli (ribs), was traditionally made with the hearty breeds of pig in Alterac, Yeti Rippli originally being considered a meal only for the lowest of the peasantry. Should one fall on hard enough times, peasants would be forced to hunt for their meals in the most dangerous of places: Yeti caves. As the meal spread and the stigma of eating a humanoid began to fade, the dish spread into the houses of lesser Nobility and from there to the rest of the court.

For the nobles, it was not out of necessity that they hunted the Yeti, but out of love for the hunt. The humanoid proved to be a much more challenging experience, and the meat ended up being that much more sweet. As it shifted to the tables of the wealthy, additional seasonings and meats were added. This is the recipe stemming from the mountainous region between the Alteracian Flatlands, Lordamere Lake, and the Capital as an affluent member of society might eat it.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon margarine
Quarter pound of bacon, cut into small pieces
2 onions, hacked
1 garlic, pressed
Two thirds of cabbage, cut into strips
Half pound of celery, cut into pieces
Half pound carrots, cut into slices
1 pound of potatoes, cut into slices
pepper
½ teaspoon dried or 1 teaspoon fresh thymian
1 3/4 pounds smoked loin ribs from pork
3.5 ounces white wine
¼ teaspoon soup powder (instant soup)
4 tomatoes, pealed, cut into slices

One would heat the butter in a frying pan before adding in the bacon, onion, garlic, and stew. Then add cabbage, celery, carrots and potatoes, cover and steam until the vegetables falls in. Spice with pepper and thymian. Place ribs within the vegetables. Add white wine and soup, cook on low heat for about one hour. Add tomatoes and cook for 10 more minutes.

~~~

Eaten with this would be various other meats, breads, and the melted cheese dish known as fondue.

For dessert, another treat one might find within the home of either the highest or lowest of society, would be a deep fried apple donut. By coring the apple, cutting it into thin slivers about a centimeter thick, and then deep frying them in a batter as simple or elegant as the occasion permits, a tasty treat is made. It can be served with or without its signature vanilla sauce, warm or cold.

[Harmonic]

Troll Piss - Staple of Boot Bay.

3/5 Goblin Rocket Fuel

1/5 Rum

1/5 Blackwater Whiskey

And a dash of dish soap.


Drink is so named because of it's pungent odor and "unique" flavor. Is also called "Last Resort", as is often made of any leftover liquor of the day.

[Bovel]

Finally there are some dishes and even drinks gettin' their moment of glory up in here. But I didn't mean this thread as a place to share recipes, think @Caravan got that covered already? I wanted to spark some thoughts about food in Warcraft and even if I'm happy so see everyone join in I do have some follow-up questions and a reminder for future posts.
@Jonoth, what about Remyl's Succulent Sausage is tied or niched for Dun Morogh? Considering that most ingredients can be found around Loch Modan if not even more likely due to climate. Or is it more of a #dwarven dish?
@Geoni, the connection between the burgers cost and the goblin's greed is good but is that all their is to their? Can tinkering and alchemy be applied to that luscious meal and perhaps even actual gold? And what of goblin's tendency to towards dishonesty and trickery to earn a bit more stuffing to their coin pouches?

Not trying to be a killjoy, with a topic like this I don't really think there is ever a wrong idea!

This is very much inspired by @Beltharean's dish of the wealthy vs. the poor.
Theme - Alterac

              Perenolde Trickery
In the olden days, the kingdom of Alterac was a place of contrast. While the nobility never suffered hunger or the biting cold, the peasantry lived on whatever scraps they could manage since the mountains offered little but its metals and stone. A rich soup cooked on turtle made a hearty soup served in the courts of every baron and baroness. To instill a sense of luxury into their dreary lives, the farmers changed the recipe to fit their larders.

Whatever red meat one can get and can range from yeti to a lost relative in desperate times, but most commonly used is the ram. Some believe this practice began after alteracians took after eating all meats available from orcs, even other people. This is ground with generous additions of lard and/or drippings. A broth is cooked on the few fish and crustaceans can be caught in the thawed brooks at spring, mixed with bones from young animals, crushed pepper and onions with a big pinch of salt and lastly a proper bouquet of dried mountain silversage. The bones are removed and the marrow within scraped back into the soup before the forcemeat is added.

The combination of marrow and sage to create a taste as close to seafood as you can get in a mountain range. Wine, port and even vinegar together with additional fat is added at the end to embellish the dish further. Before serving a lid of stale bread is laid to rest on top of the soup, a common practice to reinvigorate old baked goods.

(Mock turtle soup to me defines the commoner's attempt at the food of the wealthy so I adopted that recipe with a twist suitable of Warcraft. In Cataclysm orcs are described to without qualm eat worgen meat and a recipe unique to the Horde is a sausage made from carrion. Therefore the wide arrays of options for the meat of this dish. The addition of the bread-lid is based upon the lordaeronian delicacy - stagwiches, combined with the accessibility of meal, be it wheat or even bone.)

[Thoradin]

Tol Barad "Crab" and Fox Stew

Ingredients;

1 lbs of fresh-caught Fox meat chunks
1/2 lbs of fresh Darkwood Spider (leg meat preferred)
One quart of beef broth
2 cups of fresh water
1/3 lbs cut carrots
1/4 lbs celery
5 hearty potatoes
1 cup diced onion
Mix of Savory, Thyme, Salt, Pepper, and dab of Goldshire Cooking Sauce.

Cut potatoes and meats into small bite sized chunks, throw everything into large pot. Add water to keep broth above the solid bits. Let sit over fire for up to forty five minutes with cover. Stir every so often. Make sure the meats have been browned or whitened and potatoes and carrots softened.

Spoon out in bowls and serve up to seven. Be sure to get some bread, too.

Side note; when asked about the Crab, be sure to avoid answering it truthfully. Tol Barad crabs taste awful, but the Darkwood Spiders have a special taste to them. Just respond with "imported".


------------


Why Fox and "Crab"? Because those seem to be the two things Tol Barad has in abundance, aside from all the evilness. How else you gonna feed an army, eh?

[Caravan]

Nagrand

(Brought to you by Xanthe because she's has been learning Draenic cooking, yo!)

[Wind]Roc au Vin
((A 'Draelassian' affair -- Thalassian cuisine using mostly Outland ingredients. The Windroc, while not being the same as an Azerothian roc, is likely very gamey and possibly tough. Slowly cooking it would likely bring out the flavors and make it all sorts of melt-in-your-mouth yumtastic. Also, yes, Xanthe is a vegetarian... but Kapre is not!))

The Ingredients and How-to!

Spoiler:

- 1 Bottle of Telaari Wine ((Which should totally be a thing because Telaari grapes are a thing. Open to the idea that Telaari wine would be similar to a white wine, but the purpley Skethyl berries could produce a dark wine. It doesn't matter because we will never know :| ))
- 3 lbs Windroc leg[s], plain
- 6 oz. bacon (NOT FELBOAR BACON!. Garadar-sourced bacon is advised)
- 2 cups Windroc broth (Either make your own from the less-desired (but still flavorful) 'roc parts or buy some!)
- 1 Mountain Silversage leaf ((A possible substitute for a Bay Leaf. Thoughts?))
- 1 lb small mushrooms (NOT Zangarmarsh mushrooms. Plain, food-grade mushrooms)
- Garlic cloves, to taste
- Small sack of carrots, cut into manageable sizes
- Thumb-sized portion of butter


Boil the wine until it's reduced by roughly half. During this time, crisp up the bacon. Remove from the pan and set it aside, saving some of the fat for browning the Windroc. After roughly ten minutes, remove the legs and set aside. Cook up the mushrooms in the bacon/Windroc pan until they begin to shrink a bit and get soft (rather than firm). Add the garlic and butter -- once melted, add the wine and the broth. Whisk the liquids and bring the heat down to a simmer.

"But, wait! What about this meat!"

Exactly! Place the Windroc legs in a large pot (atop the Mountain Silversage leaf) along with the crisped bacon, carrots, and the mushroom-wine-broth concoction. Cover with a heavy lid and place within a heated oven for roughly an hour and a half -- this may take two hours to get the Windroc tender.

Adjust seasonings to diner's tastes as available or as needed.

Breakfast Beverage:
Dreaming Glory Tea

((This is inspired by the buff Dreaming Glory gives you once gathered. Yay for liberties!))

Unlike most teas, Dreaming Glory tea is most effective brewed from freshly harvested specimens. A delicate tea is made from the blossoms, while one seeking a more robust drink may seek to use the roots.



Quick edit for thought: Black Lotus as a Saffronesque plant? Eh? Ehhh?

(There you go, Bovel! I'll try to throw down some more recipes eventually. I do like this idea!)

[FlyingSquirrel]

Dwarven Rockbread, or Kam-zun.

Rock bread, or 'Kam-zun' in it's native tongue, is an Old Dwarven baking tradition, around just about longer than any other type of Dwarven bread. As it's name implies, it has a very thick and tough crust(1), but the inside is as soft and fluffy as a Dwarf's well-tended beard. It's rather well-known amongst Dwarven-kind, and well-loved in turn. It especially holds the heart of many miners, who can trust in the bread to stay good for long journeys underground.

The bread itself is a challenge to make for any Dwarf, mainly because it takes so long to bake and, during this time, the bread cannot catch fire for too long. Over a twelve hour period, the bread must be regularly set aflame and doused via smothering(2). Generally, it should be aflame for two minutes each hour, but the exact measurement of time for the best Kamzum has been a point of debate for thousands of years. The rest of the time, it bakes at a low temperature.

The type of fire the bread is burnt with heavily affects the end product of the bread. Kam-zun being covered in lava in it's later journeys, if handled correctly, can yield some of the best-made Kam-zun. Most bakers stick with basic, elemental fire, which yields average bread. Fel-baked Kam-zun tends to have a hotter, spicier flavor, while Arcane-baked Kam-zun is sweeter(3).

The bread, nutritionally, is exceptional for many different reasons. High on this list is it's ability to last for a good amount of time unbroken. It's tough, nigh impassible crust holds the moisture to the inner parts of the bread for weeks, if it is a well-baked loaf of bread. As well as this, a small loaf has the ability to nourish a working Dwarf for many days. Even amongst the non-miners of Dwarven society, it has gained a reputation as trusty and tasty, inspiring many songs of it.

In terms of flavor, Kam-zun baked in lava or fire is sadly barren to many races. All spices and flavorings added before or during baking are melted off or burnt to the crust, and although they can be added to the fluff inside freely, that means that the eater of the bread must carry it themselves. Dwarves themselves find it tasty enough, although whether they actually do taste it or just say that they do to mess with all the other races is still a point of debate.

Due to Kam-zun's age as a food, there is no clear way to eat it, or even materials to make it with. It varies from clan to clan, household to household. For the Dark Irons, it is common to have just the bread, as theirs is more often than not crafted in lava. The Wildhammer will often serve theirs alongside a stew or slab of meat, whilst the Bronzebeards often eat Kam-zun doused in various condiments. Among the last clan, the bread has been losing popularity in favor of easier to access foods, courtesy of the Alliance, at least amongst the young. But many old and not-so-old Dwarves swear to this day that it was Kam-zun that allowed Ironforge to last through the Second War.

--

(1); The most common form of breaking Kam-zun open is with a mining pick. However, there have been unsourced tales of various Dwarves, often in a drink-induced rage, breaking Kam-zun open with a mighty punch or crack over the knee. As previously stated, these tales are unconfirmed, but it is a common compliment for a Dwarf to be considered 'as tough as Kamzum', or 'strong enough to crack rock bread'.

(2); The cloth it is smothered in is known as a 'Kam-dum', or bread-cloth. Amongst Dwarven bakers, it is common for the master to give his apprentice a Kam-dum as a blessing when the apprenticeship is over. It is considered a bad omen for a Kam-dum to burn, but there is nothing horrible connected to retiring a well-used Kam-dum. The more ornate Kam-dum's may be made of cloth interwoven with stone, and embedded with gems.

(3); As with all other things, moderation is key. If a loaf of Kam-zun is baked solely in Arcane fire, then it will be sickeningly sweet, to the point where even children will spit at the taste. Likewise, Kam-zun baked solely in fel will quite literally set aflame the mouth of the eater, as well as scorch the hands and nose-hairs of those who either touch or smell of it.