#Elven Cooking

[coopsgirl]

I was doing some Christmas shopping and bought this for myself at Costco 🥰

Here are Legolas and Thranduil's recipes.

[dirthe]

I touched upon it in my earlier lore post about simultas, about the important distinction between the mattokian versus the dalish, but I think one of the best things me and my partner decided was to make clan lavellan apart of greater mattokia.

mattokian elves are a homebrew race of mine ; I've built them in ffxiv, in my original worldbuild (odynia) and they fit perfectly in thedas.

{seen here, one of the ffxiv clans}

{some more context to their economy, their aesthetics, etc. once again in the ffxiv build.}

in their dragon age iteration, there are 13 large clans that each oversee a different process of life and death, all bound by the stars. they are seers and dreamers, fade-touched and attuned to spirits. some of their holiest (are) spirits. they are deeply morbid yet sensual people, who treat hedonism as a sacred tenant despite their macabre manner. they give "a little death" its meaning. making clan lavellan one of the thirteen simply made sense.

here is a chart to explain my frenetic thought process. do we see the vision.

[karmicgooner]

Chat should I finish my HWFWM fic from literally last year or do I just write a cooler new one. I can’t guarantee I’d finish the new one either….especially cus classes start in like two days but it’s the thought that counts. 

[dukeofdogs]

Of all the things I expected to happen, Sapkowski being like "HELL YEAH WITCHER COOK BOOK" wasn't on my bingo.

"The author of The Witcher novels, Andrzej Sapkowski, endorses the book with his in-depth foreword featuring his own culinary inspirations and stories."

[lavellane]

so im very confused by the shadow dragons backstory. bc like ''adopted into a military family'' could mean a lot like is this centralized to minrathous ? and are we talking nobility or just like. a family of fighters lol. bc it makes sense for human and dwarven rooks but absolutely falls apart for elves and qunari ????

[garden-variety-jumo]

Lord of the Rings Culinary Culture Headcannons bc I'm bored.

This isn't based off of any source from the books this is just vibes. I love food anthropology though so.

Elves: They don't seem huge in agriculture to me, kind of because it seems tedious for them to do every year, forever, till they die. So instead I think they'd embrace a more hunter-gatherer approach, with certain areas cultivated so the plants pretty much take care of themselves. I also think they favour food that can be preserved like dried meat and jams so they don't have to worry about the food spoiling as fast. I've heard lembas bread can be made regardless of location, so I dont think it's a patiular grain, but more of a special process in preparing the grain or smth that's kept secret (a little like nixtamalisation). Additionally: their most elaborate meals tend to have a very long process to make- it's not unusual for preparation for a feast to begin months in advance.

Dwarves: I think they would have an emphasis on group meals, as more work can be achieved if everyone shares one big meal rather than going off to make individual ones. Spending the majority of their time underground, I feel like they eat a lot of tubers. I think they would at least originate from somewhere with geothermal pools, and to reflect this have a lot of boiled and steamed foods, as well as burying food in pots near the pools so the natural heat can cook it (I can't remember what culture but there's evidence of this being done with bread). Additionally, I think they'd be fans of pit ovens, rather than pots or cauldrons- using the heat from their forges to heat up rocks for them. [I think there's less roasting on a spit over a fire because the hear from theor forges would burn the food too quickly.] I feel they'd also be very good at fermenting, with halls dedicated to maturing cheeses or aging meat. Additionally, if they eat meat, it will likely be a large land animal like a boar or deer- not so much birds or fish because they aren't really adapted to hunting them.

Humans: they're honestly pretty standard. They were probably behind a lot of advancements, like preserves, but the majority of the time, it's either porridge or stew. I feel like they have the most diversity from establishment to establishment, for example if you went by the sea, a lot of communities use the salt to preserve their food, but more inland other communities may not have heard even of the method. Obviously the bigger the kitchen, the grander the meals can be and the more equipment they can afford, but villages usually have a community oven they can use for bread and pies. While the food itself is pretty standard, they're also the most adventurous in foraging, inadvertently making a lot of once-poisonous plants edible through natural selection, humans are usually thr first to try out a new food, as well as the first to find ways to make it edible.

Hobbits: as expected from a culture who values meals and food to that extent, hobbits are the culinary geniuses of Middle-Earth. In Ancient Rome, they had advanced cooking utensils, that after the fall of Rome, weren't reinvented till the 18th(?) century: Hobbits are like that. They have utensils for every food in every variety you can think of, and while it's unnecessary to actually have, and perhaps inconvenient to use, it's a point of pride and great social status. Not only do they keep incredibly well-stocked pantries, but they've very keen to experiment with new flavours and have a decent trade route for these reasons. Recipes are also a point of pride, and it's considered unspeakable rude to attempt to recreate someone else's recipe. While there are recipe books of all kinds in every house, family recipe books are often handed down in wills, and kept secret from others. Cooking equipment is also passed down in wills. While they also partake in standard agriculture, hobbits also often have their own vegetable gardens, where they grow their proffered ingredients to work with. In the perspectives of other races, they can be a bit snooty about food, however they're simply very well-educated about the matter. Certain cultures can identify more shades of colour, because in their languages they give each shade a different name- it's sort of like that, but with taste. ((Many hobbits are able to identify the type of salt used in a recipe.)) Additionally, they have several festivals a year where they partake in food competitions. They're big fans of using edible flowers in their flavouring

[runeberry]

Dragon Age never fails to a) make me cry, and b) come out with something right when I need it.

[melestasflight]

Foods and Cuisine in Maglor's Gap

General: Food production at Maglor’s Gap has similar limitations to Himring. However, the Gap profits from extensive trade between Dorthonion, Himlad, and Thargelion, its flat land allowing for easy transportation and multiple trade routes. Cereals, fruits, meats, and wine are exchanged for mares from Maglor’s herds. Due to continuous winds across the Gap, the Elves specialize in salted and dried horse flesh, jerky, meat-stuffed dumplings, and other savory treats. In the eastern part of the Gap at the foothills of Rerir, where Maglor maintains a household for a long time, olive trees and low fruits are common. The fruits are eaten raw during harvest months and enjoyed sun-dried or as preserves during the season of frost.

Diet: Omnivore.

Common ingredients: Horse, elk, rabbit, falcon, goose, cereals, cheese.

Specialty: Elaborate charcuteries with dried horse flesh, smoked meats, cheese, bread, and dried fruits.

Foods and Cuisines Worldbuilding from the Silmarillion

[icewindandboringhorror]

Recent ones of these even though they all look the same lol.. forcing myself to document progress..

[necromycologist]

so fucking funny thaut he’s elrond (& elros) half elven. elves don’t understand fractions i guess

[elven-musings]

I fail to understand the hype around Delicious in Dungeon. Why risk your life going into an underground abyss full of monsters to feed off of them when you can quite literally stumble upon perfectly edible plants every time you venture into the depths of a forest?

I completely understand if you are jealous. I would be, as well, had I not been the one privileged to enjoy this fulfilling meal.

[vault81]

wait... i might be cooking here...

"When corrupt gods break free from centuries of darkness, the odds will be stacked against you. You can't do this alone. Rally a team of seven companions, each with rich lives and deep backstories. These are characters to befriend, and even fall in love with. Among them, an assassin, a necromancer, and a detective will each bring their own expertise and unique abilities to the fight. You are never alone; decide who to take into battle and together face down demons, dragons and even ancient gods."

now... we know the Dreadwolf isn't the only god we'll be fighting, it'll probably pull an Inquisition and like a 1/4 of the way through introduce the new big bad(s) of the game...

SO MY THEORY: based off that funky looking dragon at the end of that teaser, we're either going to be fighting an Old God or with the Veil potentially going down, we'll be dealing with the Evanuris. Honestly going off of 'corrupt gods break free from centuries of darkness' it could really be either of those 2. The Greywardens are going to be in this game (we even get a Warden companion) and we'll probably be going to the Anderfels so Weisshaupt.. I feel like it could be a strong possibility that we deal with one or maybe both of the remaining Old Gods

or it could just be a classic Dragon Age, everything is about the elves and elvhen so its probably the Evanuris.

[silksworn]

not a daddy, but a Father

[hikarinokusari]

I didn't expect to bond with the player who suffers from the same hag as I do this way. But hey, we're bonding !

[youhavethewrong]

Advantages of being an elf:

- you get the pointy ears

- youre never in a hurry again, ever

Disadvantages of being an elf:

- every other race assumes youre racist

- every other race makes fun of your bland cooking, with good reason

- you gotta walk up a thousand stairs to make it to the 2nd room of any building bc the architect thought making it tall and ornate af was a good idea for some reason

- no other race laughs at your jokes, with good reason

- theres always some fucker high up the chain of command whos like "elven kind never interacts with the brutish orcs...." and youre like "who voted for this guy anyway" and then you find out he was chosen royal advisor 10,000 years before you were born

- every other race makes fun of your garbs. With good reason.

[the-case-book-of-fanfiction]

astarion ancunin hcs {pt. 1}

once he's comfortable with you, he adores non-sexual physical intimacy

playing with his hair will calm him down almost instantly

he's protective and possessive, so he'll keep a hand on you at all times, usually on your back

loves when you initiate any kind of physical contact

always asks to do something before he does, in either a sexual or nonsexual context

he's easily jealous and can sometimes get very possessive; for the first time in 200 years, he has someone who genuinely loves him and he hates the possibility that he might lose you

that possessiveness is obvious when he marks up your neck with bites and hickeys

if he feels like his place in your relationship is threatened in public, he will not hesitate to touch, hold, or kiss you in front of whomever is making a move on you; after some bearing of fangs, whoever it is usually scuttles off very quickly

he definitely feels very undeserving of you and your love and has his days when he's convinced you're going to leave him for someone better when you get the chance, or that he's keeping you from; that insecurity lasts for a very long time

constantly buries his own feelings, so you have to coax them out of him and teach him how to set boundaries and stand up for himself

astarion absolutely LOVES bathing together; he can be very vulnerable with you without sex being expected when you bathe together and it absolutely helps him regain some control and bodily autonomy

he loves gifting you things: jewelry, clothes, weapons, little knickknacks he sees that remind him of you

his elven ears are so sensitive and he absolutely will whine involuntarily when you brush your fingers over them (either on accident while you're touching his curls or on purpose)

speaking of which, astarion loves having his hair played with, it's a huge comfort to him (and another form of physical touch that isn't inherently sexual, so it's one of the ways to ease him back into being intimate and physical)

sexually, he's very switchy; some days he wants to be in control and giving you all the pleasure you deserve, but other days he's more than happy to let you take the lead and love on him

he loves staying up late to have deep talks and watch the sky (sun or moon and stars, it doesn't matter which to him)

cuddle this man. all the time. he's absolutely a cuddle bug. if you don't cuddle him while you go to sleep, he'll be very huffy, and you'll wake up to him curled up around you anyway

he also likes to be the little spoon sometimes, once he's comfortable with you seeing and being wrapped around his back

he will sew everything for you instead of teaching you to do it; he likes being useful in some little way for you (inspired by @aethes-bookshelf's post here because I saw it and went "you are absolutely right")

he commonly speaks to you in Elvish whether you understand it or not; it's absolutely a comfort to him, especially when you start picking up words and understanding some of what he says

contrary to the performances he puts on, astarion is a very gentle lover when he can finally be comfortable and genuine with you. he's quieter, softer, he takes the time to learn you and himself, he lets himself enjoy it; he learns to become a taker, not just a giver

he likes to hold you, however he can, and at the very least always be touching you. an arm around your waist or shoulders, a hand on the small of your back, holding your hand or twining your pinkies together. he can't be touching you, he's standing so close to you that he could be touching you if he moved a centimeter more

he likes to hug you randomly; one of his favorite ways to do it is to come up behind you while you're cooking or talking to someone or looking at yourself in the mirror to get ready so he can surprise you by putting his arms around your waist and resting his head on your shoulder

astarion has a habit of kissing your neck whenever he can, sometimes it's a way to let you know he's hungry, other times when he wants to be intimate, other times just to remind you he loves you

on the same hand, he doesn't always say 'i love you' but instead makes it known through his behavior around you (and the fact that he's constantly looking at you like you are his whole world, because you are)

on the nights when you can't sleep, he reads to you until you drift off because he knows you find his voice soothing

he likes tucking his head into your neck and shoulder when the two of you sleep (which he finds out he actually likes doing every now and then)

the first thing astarion does when he wakes up is pepper you with little kisses on your shoulders, collarbones, cheeks, and forehead

when he's nervous and with people he's okay with knowing that, he'll reach for your hand and touch your fingers to calm down and ground himself. if you wear a ring or multiple rings, he'll play with those

astarion loves it when you call him by a nickname, either a shortened version of his name or a pet name. if he's fed recently and had enough blood, his cheeks will turn this adorable shade of pink when you call him "Star" or "my love" or something similar

how he wakes up from a nightmare changes constantly. the worse the nightmare, the worse his reaction when he wakes up. sometimes it's just a little gasp and his eyes flying open, sometimes it's a yelp and tears, sometimes he's crying before he even wakes up; but every time, his biggest comfort is to cling to you until the panic fades and then curl up in your lap (you've learned to light a candle or summon lights with magic when he wakes up from a nightmare; the shadows make him feel worse)

when you fall asleep outside of bed, he picks you up and carries you to bed and tucks you in—all without waking you

if you are injured at any point and there is no certainty that you'll pull through, he panics. he stays at your side the entire time, even if the smell of your blood is driving him mad, and holds your hand and talks to you, often begging you to wake up, to come back to him, to stay with him; more than once, you've woken up to find him with tears streaked down his face

every time you wake up from an injury and he realizes it, either because he's watching you or because you say hi to get his attention, he smothers you in kisses

once he's no longer starving, he likes to feed from you very slowly, to take his time and enjoy your taste; now that he's promised food, he doesn't feel the need to rush. feeding becomes very sensual, intimate, and personal for the two of you after that

he also loves leaving bites and drinking from you in places the others won't see; it makes him incredibly giddy to know that you let him bite you in places only he will ever see

if he's taller than you, he loves to kiss the crown of your head whenever he can

he will sew up your injuries whenever you need his help with it, even if the sight and smell of your blood makes him salivate

he loves touching your body to see how you react and lets you do the same to learn his own likes and dislikes

matching. outfits. he loves it, loves seeing people realize that you wear the same material and colors and realize what it means. he's very smug when people come to the realization that you're together

he frequently gives you his shirts to sleep in

if you are apart from him for any amount of time, expect to be tackled with a hug the minute you are reunited again

when you have the time, he likes to just lay in bed with you and relax together, half-asleep and cuddling and sometimes mumbling to each other pt. 2 coming soon