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| “The people of Benevis Kingdoms are excellent brewer of alcohol beverages. With the region situated in the perfect place to grow grape and grains, it is not a surprise that Baracsa is the home of wonderful wine, great beer, good grapes and half decent raisins.
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| What is surprising however the list of edible food in the entire region ends there. Compared to their amazing skills and technics in wine-making, cooking in the Benevis Kingdoms is the definition of hell. There are only two types of cooking method, baking and boiling. It might not sound too bad at first, after our research team spend three days in the Kingdoms though they decided in the remaining week they should stick to rations from home instead.
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| Sure, the people of Benevis can bake bread with soft textures and beautiful shapes. And they can make boiled meat and vegetables look appetizing. What makes them utterly uneatable is the terrible taste of mixed spices and salt which give one of our researchers PTSD.
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| Overuse of herbs and seasoning is a common theme in these lands. The price of spices and salt doesn’t help either. This resulted in dishes being disastrous with different kinds of spices mixed together in to one complete mess of flavours, often times ruining the food. It does not matter if it is a fish, vegetable or a meat dish, everything tasted the same under the assault of heavy seasoning. The horrors of Benevis cooking has the ability to make deceased cooks in our world rise from their graves in rage and force Gordon Ramsey to start mass production of idiot sandwiches.
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| We advise travelers to The Benevis Kingdom to treat local dishes as visual artworks, maybe view them while drinking wine. Please, of your own sake, refrain from eating any of them.”
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| [“The Travel Guide Book of Riiga” , Thomas Cook publishing, London, UK, 2037 ]
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| “The area of Seleru is dry, desert winds made growing crops hard even if there are rivers present. As a result, seafood from the Sea of Lyte dominated the dining table of the commoners and the elites of Seleru’s society.
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| Cites in this region all sits near the coast so that they can get the most out of the sea. Fishing vessels, from small reed boats to large wooden ship, sail across the clear waters to bring back anything that they can earn Otras with. These ranges from the usual fishes to shellfish such as mussel, scallops, shrimps, crabs and sometimes even lobsters. Fresh food from the sea is affordable for the common people. Seaweed are also farmed as a substitute to vegetables, showing just how dependent the people in this area rely on the Sea of Lyte. This dependence on the sea also drive the price of animal meat high since they are rare and had to be imported from the south.
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| Roasting over fires are the most common way of cooking in these parts although other cooking methods is present, just not as common. For tourist who likes seafood roasted with garlic, the coastal cities in Seleru is perfect for you. Spices are often applied in powder form instead of a sauce in Seleru cuisine, the most common type includes dried thyme, fennel, cumin and garlic. Eating utensils are crude in Seleru as compare to the Benevis kingdoms: Where Benevians have spoons, forks and knifes for eating, there are often just a wooden stick or none at all in Seleru. Dishes are also presented the way they are, void of any decoration. That being said, most food that our research team sampled aren’t bad, some even taste good.
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| Desert dwellers in southern Seleru often live nomadic life, dried meat, preserved fish either in salt or smoked and other dried sea foods are the daily diet of the nomadic tribes here. Cactus is on the menu too if one can find any.
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| All in all our researchers finds the food in Seleru to be acceptable, the food is not bad however variety is lacking. If you are interesting to book a vacation to see the wonders and experience the lands of Seleru including The Eber Empire, Reunon Hoqumer and Xinmou Hoqomer, please visit any of our offices.
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| If you can make it through the crowds of human rights protesters.”
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| [“Seleru Cuisine”, ThomasCook/offworld/introduction/Seleru, UK, 2037 ]
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| “Forest dominates Yvatshun, from building materials to religion all the way to food and drinks, forest and trees defines who the Yvabirans are. Vast areas in the region is covered by dense forest making it one of the greenest places in Riiga.
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| While farming is present in Yvatshun providing basic crops such as wheat and barley, much of the food seen on the dinner tables in the common household of the region comes from the forest. Meat are often sold by hunters while berries, nuts and mushrooms can be easily seen every market in the region. Towns and cities near rivers also get access to fish and other fresh water shellfish. After some simple cooking, these would already be considered food in other major cultures in Riiga but not for the Yvabirans. In fact, presenting a meat stew or a roasted fish is the worst insult to any Yvabiran. They view the food stuffs above to be mere ingredients. Real food, in the eyes of the people in Yvatshun, should be carefully prepared, cooked to perfection and presented as good as they can, they should be in the form of pastry.
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| Pies dominates the dinner table in Yvatshun. The first page of the menu of every tavern in this land will be about the signature pie they offer, be it sweet like an apple pie or salty ones like a meat pie. Those without will be labeled as subpar. These pie comes in different shapes and sizes, depending on the chef’s skills, they can also be aesthetically pleasing. Due to the lack of spices in the region, these pies often only use salt as seasoning with others using sauce created by meticulously mixing berries and herbs together. Our researchers tried to find out how the people prepare the sauce for pies, they all ended up with a pie in the face and was told to leave by locals.
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| Berries also serves as another ingredient of a dish which is famous around and beyond Yvatshun. Cakes are a must have in any Yvabiran festival just like how there must be beer in a party. Condensed fruit juice replaced the rare sugar and mixed with egg, milk and butter in order to create the sweet pastry. Yvabiran cakes are often decorated with different kinds of fruit and nuts along with jams and cream to add color. Since cocoa needs to be imported from far away, chocolate cake are reserved for nobles and royalties.
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| The people of Yvatshun exports jams of berries and fruits in sealed glass jars, mostly to their western neighbors. The concept of cake also spread to the Benevis Kingdoms. While their beauty and elegance surpassed their Yvabiran counterparts, they are also responsible for the term ‘Benevian cakes’ which means how something is not what they seem to be from the outside, with negative connotation.” [“The Travel Guide Book of Riiga”, Thomas Cook publishing, London, UK, 2037]
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| “As the place which east meet wests in this continent, the towns and cities of Qarbak are the perfect stopping place for merchants and traders to unwind before continuing their journey on The Archroad. Goods and cargo comes and goes in these places, with trains and ships lining up to get a spot in stations and harbors.
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| The custom officers often treat every goods as equal, no matter if it is gold, wood, textiles or weapons. There are always exception to the rule though. If a merchant presents a coin of green stained glass any port/station official, their docking request will be granted immediately and their trains/ships will be escorted with guards that are armed to the teeth. The merchant with green glass coins are the life line for the towns and cities in this place, and the cargos they move are the most precious items in these lands ----- food.
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| Qarbak have little lands suitable for farming basic crops, back when this region is sparsely populated, this is not a big issue. However, with the emergence of The Archroad, population grew. Although seafood like fish, octopus and crabs can be source from the Sea of Lions, plus spices are common around the coast, these alone could not support the rising population. In order to feed their population the people of Qarbak came up with clever ways to increase their food supply. Seafood farming was pioneered here and experiments with greenhouses has yield some results. Despite this, food still need to be imported to meet the demand. Merchants of The Archroad supply Qarbak with food from both ends of the line, keeping the trade hub alive.
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| The most import rule of cooking in Qarbak is that nothing goes to waste. The people of the region, from common housewives to established chefs, will not waste any edible part of an ingredient. Efficiency means that every cooking method is explored in order to bring out the most out of the ingredients. As an example, the research team had three dishes on their first day here, those three dishes are deep fried fish bones, roasted fish fillet and fish soup made from fish innards. These three dishes all came from the same fish which is the size of a normal salmon, and it managed to feed ten people nicely. Spices are used to add flavor and mask the fishy scent, making the dishes more appetizing and colorful. Vegetables consists of seaweeds and cactus, and almost all carbohydrates such as rice and noodles are imported.
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| Due to the unique location, cultural exchange between the east and west often happens in Qarbak. Cooking styles and cuisine are also mixed together. Taverns of different cuisines from different cultures can be found here as well as local ones, which seems to be a mash up of different cooking styles and methods.
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| If you are interested in traveling to Qarbak, feel free to book a vacation with us."
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| {This is a public message from Oolu Empire, wasting food is an uncivilized behavior and a punishable offence, Finish what you have started}
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| [“Qarbak Cuisine”, ThomasCook/offworld/introduction/Qarbak, UK, 2037 ]
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| “Apart from wars and plagues, food has never been a concern for anyone living in Teman. The entire area has plenty of arable land and easy access to the sea, make this place the envy of the Kingdoms’ western neighbors.
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| With the abundance in food and cooking ingredients, food is more than basic survival in Teman. To a Temanean, a meal is something to long forward to. Eating is not just about filling one’s stomach, it is also about enjoying the experience. Traditional Teman cuisine reflects this notion. Cooking is geared towards taste and aesthetics, one such example is the knife work of Temaneans chefs in traditional restaurants. Years of training enables them to craft bunnies from carrots and flowers from cucumber. This attention to details comes does come with its tradeoff: the meal takes hours to prepare. If you want to dine in such restaurant but don’t want to wait three hours doing so like the research team did, it is best to reserve a seat beforehand. Reservation can be made using letter or in person.
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| Homemade meals and food offered by taverns and inns are much simpler than traditional Teman dish in terms of preparation, and while they are at a lower quality compare to the higher end establishments, they are still appetizing. Vegetables and meat are common in the plates of average Temanean with the meat mostly come from pigs and poultry. For areas near the ocean, fish and shellfish are also on the menu. Cooking methods are mainly steam and stir fry although due to thanks to the Archroad and the culture exchange it brings, other types of cooking method is also observed. Regardless of origin, these dishes are often side with rice, the main basic crop of the region. They are served with in a plate and eaten with spoon and fork, Temaneans prefer have their own plate.
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| Temaneans snacks deserves special mention, commonly made from rice, these deep fried treats comes in different shape, sizes and flavours depending on cities. For example, Ho Da’s salty rice biscuit is in the shape of an anchor, commemorating Admiral Huy Jun who founded the kingdom. Ruipin’s sweet rice cracker is shape like a tiny brick wall which serves a representation of the Ladarean Wall nearby. These snacks goes great with wine.
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| Too bad there isn’t any good wine around to go with them.
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| P.S One small note for travelers that want to visit Teman, do not finish your food, always leave some on the plate. A clean plate is an insult to the host’s hospitality since finishing everything on the dish means that the host did not prepare enough for the guest. ThomasCook Inc is not responsible for injures, loss of limbs and death associated with the consequences of total consumption of meals in Teman”
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| [“Teman Cuisine”, ThomasCook/offworld/introduction/Cuisine, UK, 2037 ]
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