Ambrosia

Properties

Material Characteristics

Ambrosia fruit are similar in size to a grapefruit. They have the skin similar to that of a tomato, light and slightly leathery. It is soft to the touch, and the skin is easily broken if mishandled. The insides of Ambrosia are also similar to a tomato, mushy and containing large amounts of liquid. The tastes are of extreme sweetness, a slight sourness, and a strong sense of umami similar to that of mirin or oyster sauce.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Ambrosia contains chemicals that induce extreme senses of short-term euphoria and happiness in most humanoids.

Origin & Source

Ambrosia's chemical properties are unique in the world. They seem to contain trace amounts of arcane energy, although how this energy is acquired is unknown.
It is believed that Ambrosia originally evolved in the feywild, and eventually found a way to grow upon the Prime Material. There are additional theories that suggest Ambrosia only forms near portals to the feywild, although this has never been confirmed in the wild. 
The reason for their unique taste profile is highly debated. It is believed by various gourmands and botanists that the taste of Ambrosia evolved similarly to that of caffeine plants. With caffeine derived plants, the botany logic is that the caffeine will kill insects due to it acting as a poison. For Ambrosia, the goal seems to have been to devise something so sickeningly sweet, it was meant to influence the diets of creatures. The extreme euphoric sensations are seen as toxic to small animals, but are extremely intoxicating to larger animals. As the large animals consume the seeds within the Ambrosia plant, it is assumed the chemistry of their bodies affects the seeds, ideally creating a virtuous cycle of consumption, defecation, and seeding.

History & Usage

History

Ambrosia predates written records. In the earliest human records, notation of Ambrosia can be found. The decadent taste and rarity of the fruit makes it extremely notable throughout history. Further, the extreme rarity makes it impossible to control by nobility and the rich, meaning that Ambrosia is an experience shared by almost everyone on earth at some point.

Everyday use

Ambrosia is most commonly eaten raw. Ambrosia fruit are plump, juicy, and delicious. Due to their rarity, they are a delicacy, and most often eaten immediately upon discovery. 
Ambrosia is also used in cooking. Although it is believed that Ambrosia's taste is best when raw, cooking with other meals can greatly enhance the taste of the larger dish, even in the absence of normal flavor enhancers such as salt, pepper, or spices. A meal of venison cooked over a campfire with no other ingredients will immediately taste delectable if lightly marinated with a single Ambrosia fruit.

Manufacturing & Products

All attempts to manufacture Ambrosia have failed. It has been determined that there is a unique process in the sprouting of an Ambrosia plant that is unknown to botanists. This is perhaps magical in nature, or perhaps a quirk of the plant. Regardless, similar to that of truffles, the plant can never be cultivated in mass production.
"Farmers" of Ambrosia do their best to hunt the landscape until they can find a number of sproutlings. They tend to then defend this territory violently until the fruit is fully grown, whence they harvest it. Ambrosia farmers tend to have several tactics to track down Ambrosia sprouts:

• Unicorns - These creatures of wonder and myth are said to make Ambrosia a natural part of their diet. Because of this, the likelihood that a unicorn will range in an area near Ambrosia is very high. If a farmer can find a unicorn, they may spend days tracking it in order to find where it feeds.
• Myconids - Many myconid beings are naturally attracted to Ambrosia plants, as they seem to be attracted to wilted or dying Ambrosia plants. Some daring farmers will raise Myconids and use them as a navigation tool.
• Displacer Beasts - These strange cats of the feywild seem naturally attuned to seeking out Ambrosia. The few people who own pet Displacer Beasts sometimes note that they disappear for days at a time, only to come back no worse for wear. It is believed they use this to seek out Ambrosia to supplement their diets. Farmers may sometimes use these big cats to aid them in discovery.
• Dryads - History has shown that dryads seem to have a great deal of knowledge about Ambrosia plants. Although they are unwilling to reveal details, they seem to take few qualms in revealing locations of sprouts.

Hazards

Ambrosia produces a light psychotic effect of euphoria and happiness. The sensation will last for several hours, depending on one's physiology. One fruit is considered a full dosage, and experts conclude that eating more than one fruit of Ambrosia is an overindulgence.
Ambrosia addiction is the only common hazard. Continual consumption of the fruit will lead to an addiction. Although the initial affects of addiction are small (a general craving for more Ambrosia fruit), withdrawal effects can be more severe, making individuals manic, depressed, or otherwise making them feel as if they are unwell compared to the euphoria and neurochemical advantages of indulging in Ambrosia.
The longer an Ambrosia addiction is maintained, the more difficult the withdrawal symptoms. A commoner who overindulges in Ambrosia may become addicted, but if forced off the addiction, they can recover in a period of one to two weeks. An noble who indulges in Ambrosia daily for a month will face anywhere between 1-3 months of Ambrosia withdrawals. Furthermore, any further indulgence of Ambrosia by an addict simply restarts the long cycle of addiction. If the same noble went two months without Ambrosia, suffering from the withdrawal symptoms, and then consumed a single Ambrosia fruit, they would start the entire process all over again.
Because of this, Ambrosia is extremely cautioned amongst the wealthy, who have the most access to it. Imperial recommendations state that once per day is an absolute maximum, and that the ideal indulgence is once per week to allow the affects of Ambrosia to work through the physiology of the individual.

Type

Organic

Odor

Nostalgic scents.

Taste

Decadently sweet, notes of sour, and with mixtures of umami.

Color

Light orange or yellow.