Mume

Mume was produced with the milk of the mutane in the plains of the Kaivasa region. Mutane milk was lightly sour and high in fats and lactose, which (combined with local bacteria) produced a thick yogurt with a sour and bright flavor. This yogurt would be combined with sweet foraged berries like blueberries that have been allowed to soften. Individual mutane did not produce very much milk per creature, but whole herds could provide families with a supply of product that would be suitable for sustaining the family unit and possibly even a little excess. The high fat content and the sugar of the berries made this a very popular treat amongst herding communities and when settlements in the plains started to sow oat and wheat crops, mume became a popular topping for boiled oat breakfasts. During the occupation of The United Tribes of Kaivasa by Afiligua, the nobility usually abstained from adopting local custom to better bifurcate society between ruler and subject.* Mume persisted as a peasant dish and began to make its way across the continent to other communities to supplement the diet of fisherman and farmers who'd lose larger portions of their crops to taxes. Because mume was not much desired by the dukes, and despised by the Lesser Kings and their courts, the food item was not collected for Afiligua and it moved freely amongst the peasant class. After the fall of Afiligui rule and the establishment of the UTK, it was ruled that large-scale mume production would be impractical for government provided sustenance due to the limited milk production capabilities of the mutane and their use for fiber production. By the time the UTK was established, Afiligui nobility had already imported cattle and trained their peasants in the care of dairy cattle, so the animals were relied upon for their milk rather than the mutane. Mume remained a popular cultural touchstone for many in the UTK and persist as a luxury food.** Mume never caught on as a popular dish in Afiligua due to its lack of popularity among the nobility. Farmers in Afiligua who do import mutane and keep them very seldom try aging their milk, but the ones who have attempted this are capable of making a soft cheese which is a welcome treat in summer salads. The tartness of this cheese is notable but the product is a recent invention and has not gained very much popularity.

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*However, there was a particular duke who was introduced to the treat when a midwife encouraged the duchess to eat mume to regain her strength after the birth of their first son. Taken with the flavor, the duke and duchess encouraged their Dzuamut-born cook to include mume in their rotation of desserts. This cook, named Ningom, was the first to invent a recipe combining the Afiligua practice of folding pastry around dairy products like cheese or custard, which was costly to import, with the locally made mume. The duke was much beloved for his appreciation of local cuisine during his life and many of his servants attended his memorial at the behest of the duchess. The duchess and her son were called back to southern Afiligua by her family and the duke was replaced by the High King's second cousin.
**There are more than a few bakeries in Matkosh that advertise their mume breads; their mume filled pastries; and their parfaits. There is only one "mume bar" in Matkosh, which allows you to choose flavored mume by the spoonful and also has a spread of toppings available for selection.

Item type

Consumable, Food / Drink

In a famous speech to a Dzuamut community in the year 1310 by Mundall, the future Scion spoke to the most influential herders of the surrounding villages in the home of an elder and likened the tenacity of the Dzuamut to the persistence of mume in the cultural zeitgeist of the people of Kaivasa.
"... and like mume, which is humble in its origin, so are the people who make it. I mean this with the greatest love to your people, because mume is made with the milk of your mutane who produce just enough to support their babies and their caretakers. It is the trust of the mutane in their herders that allows the milk to flow freely and every mutane who provides their milk is a friend to the people of Kaivasa for, all these years, they have sustained us and nourished our bodies. This gift of milk and the air we breathe, in this place that has seen our children grow and our parents die, combine to create the mume which is persistent and cheerful. When we are ill, we eat mume. When we are sad, we eat mume. When we wish to celebrate, what do we eat? [at this time, the herders shouted "mume!"]...The herders of the plains, you herders, are the reason many of our families did not starve when the kings taxed the farmers and the fishermen so heavily that their nets and silos lay empty. Every Kaivasan family owes the herders their lives and the lives of their children. From the humble men and women guiding their herds across the plains from the backs of their ponies to the herders like the people of this village, cradled by the mountains, every one of you is a savior to our people..."