Bluelander Cuisine

Bluelanders have their own unique cuisine which comes about as a direct result of the land’s (lack of) resources. Due to the presence of the mineral rocksea in the ground, most of Blueland’s natural resources are toxic to humans, livestock, and crops. As such, the population are almost entirely dependent on food imported from the neighbouring island of High Tor, and the country of Shynok on the mainland.

Ingredients

Meat and Fish

Few of the native animals are edible due to the way they process rocksea in their systems. Early Bluelanders learned by trial and error, and couldn’t afford to be picky about the type of animals they ate. Blueland mustelidae—weasels, badgers, and mink—are non-toxic provided no internal organs are consumed. Their population is not nearly enough to be a sustainable food source, so restrictions are placed on when and where they can be hunted, to make sure they are not unintentionally hunted to extinction, depriving the people of a vital food source.
One snake and two local birds are edible, but most are not and in both cases it takes a skilled hunter to tell the difference. Certain insects are safe to eat, which provide a much more reliable source of protein; and at a certain time of the year, fish and seafood can be caught from the sea. However most of the year, fishing in the region is not safe due to adverse weather conditions. During the fishing season, the majority of the catches are preserved for use throughout the year, with fresh fish only eaten as part of the season’s festivals.
Dried or salted venison is imported from High Tor, and tinned pork from Shynok. In general, these are used to supplement the insects and preserved fish, with local meat being an uncommon treat.

Eggs and Dairy

Eggs—chicken, acca, or duck, depending on the origin region—are imported, but not fresh. They are powdered, pickled, or made into mayonnaise.
Fresh milk (mostly goat, but also yak) was made possible with the invention of air travel, and as such is expensive; but before that, Blueland was only able to access milk condensed, powdered, or made into a special type of long-lasting yoghurt. All of these are imported from Shynok, which also now supplies tinned milk as an option.
Imported butter is mostly used for baking, or spreading on bread; almost never as a cooking fat. Various types of cheese are also imported from Shynok.

Fruit and Vegetables

There are very few plants that grow in Blueland for which any part of them is safe to consume. A couple of types of berries, stinging nettles, a few wild flowers, and a local starchy tuber called whitepod, can all be foraged or cultivated domestically. Whitepod has to be peeled and cooked thoroughly, but when done so it functions very similarly to potato. Fungi are the most plentiful local food source in this category, with about ten different common varieties being edible.
A variety of preserved fruits and vegetables are imported from both Shynok and High Tor. Pickles and fermented vegetables are popular, with fruits mostly preserved in juice or syrup. Fruits and vegetables are also imported dried, and are rehydrated in Blueland before cooking with heavily filtered drinking water.

Other Crops

All grains have to be imported, as Blueland is not suitable for growing any types. This is mostly wheat, oats and rice, along with yeast and cooking oil. The southern region of Shynok also supplies egg noodles, though these are only eaten on special occasions in Blueland as they are more expensive than most staples.
Acorns are available seasonally; Bluelanders will occasionally eat them in stews, but usually they are made into acorn flour to mix with imported flour to make it go further. Acorn ale is also a popular drink, but legal restrictions are placed on how much can be made to ensure there are enough acorns left to be a sustainable food source.
Potatoes are imported from High Tor, and usually eaten cooked in their skins since whitepods don’t have that option. A rare type of wild beans can be foraged on Blueland, but most legumes are imported due to their scarcity. These include lentils, chickpeas, and several types of beans.

Condiments, Seasonings, Sweeteners etc

Salt is never used as a condiment due to the high salt content of imported preserved food, but it is vital to Bluelander cuisine for preserving fish. Salt Bay in Blueland is one of the few stretches of coat untouched by rocksea, and salt deposits from there are harvested throughout the year ready for fishing season. Sometimes salt is also used to preserve local game meat, if a community has been lucky in their hunting, though some areas have ice houses built for the purpose.
The only food-providing animal which was introduced to Blueland from outside that thrived in the environment were honeybees. Hives are kept across the country and honey is plentiful, used as a catch-all sweetener.
A limited selection of dried herbs and spices are imported, but are used sparingly due to their cost. A favourite is mixed curry spices from southern Shynok, as their strength of flavour means they go further than the others.

Cooking Techniques

Due to the lack of electricity and gas being expensive, most domestic cooking is done over a fire. All houses in Blueland have a fire oven, in which they do spit roast, stews, and baking. Most houses also have gas hobs, but these are typically only used for frying as it’s easier to control the temperature of the oil on the hob. Because of the expense of cooking oil, fried foods are usually only eaten at the weekend.
Powdered eggs or occasionally mayonnaise are used as a substitute for pure eggs in baking; mayonnaise is more often used as a condiment and mixed into salads.
Although yeast is not particularly expensive as far as imported goods go, it has become common to save it for making vinegar (primarily used for preserving food), and for bread to be made without it; a traditional Blueland yeast-free sourdough recipe with a blend of wheat and acorn flours has developed over the generations.

Typical Dishes

Lunch is typically soup with bread, or rice with accompanying protein and maybe vegetables (the latter more likely to be eaten on a workday). Savoury pancakes are popular for dinner, as are stews, usually with potato or whitepod. Breakfast holds the most variety, with porridge, baked potato, and toasted bread being common staples.

Breakfast

Typically served with a cup of nettle tea, or tea made with fruit syrup.

Toasted bread, cold salted venison, boiled mushrooms, and a pickled egg.

Oat porridge topped with cheese and fermented vegetables.

Oat porridge topped with salted fish and fermented vegetables.

Mashed whitepod, smoked or pickled fish, nettle sauce.

Baked potato, tinned pork mixed with mayonnaise and peas, pickled vegetables.

Toasted bread, yoghurt mixed with cheese and mushrooms, and a pickled egg.

Boiled whitepod salad; mixed with mayonnaise, tinned pork, a pickled egg, and peas.

Lunch

Rice, lightly seasoned game meat, boiled nettles.

Mixed bean soup and bread and butter.

Onion soup (made from rehydrated onions) with dried venison and toasted bread.

Lentil soup and toasted bread.

Rice, soft cheese, boiled mushrooms.

Rice, dried fish, pickled vegetables.

Toasted bread, yoghurt with honey and local berries or preserved fruit.

Rice, roasted crickets in sauce made with tinned tomatoes and dried onions.

Dinner

Fish stew with boiled whitepod.

Mixed insect stew, baked potato.

Roasted game, mashed whitepod, boiled nettles.

Boiled potatoes, roasted crickets in tomato and onion sauce

Pancakes, roasted crickets, fermented vegetables.

Pancakes, mixed fried insects, fermented vegetables.

Curried and battered fried snake with fried mushrooms.

Pancakes, tinned pork with mayonnaise and peas, boiled mushrooms.