Ssarc Miss

General overview

Ssarc Miss is a special technique of preserving food - mainly meat - as well as the preparation of the food preserved in that fashion. Although plant based food is rare in Mentzuul in general and even more so in the North, there is no Ssarc Miss without even the most minute amount of plant based ingredient. Ssarc Miss is mostly eaten cold, although parts of this cuisine are smoked or superficially roasted to add or alter taste.

Aetiology and history

The Sevarjk Luak are a non-literate people, but with all Luak being among the first to settle Samthô, it can be inferred that they have been living on Mentzuul for countless millennia already. Their myths and legends do not indicate otherwise. Ssarc Miss must thus, considering the living conditions be an equally millennia old tradition.

The word 'miss' is still in use today in the Sevarjk Luaks language and means 'bloody, meaty, warm (like fresh meat)'. It is possible that the term used to describe meat in general, maybe even a specific animal, that was primarily used as a food source, like Kariuna or Gobak. The origin of the first part of this culinary tradition lies in the mist of time. Maybe a sound change could link it to the modern 'krtis', which means 'ice'.

Role in the present time

For the Sevarjk Luak the Ssarc Miss is the most important of their cuisine traditions, since it is very basic and guarantees the survival of the people under the most harsh conditions northwestern Mentzuul offers. The Sevarjk Luak are a nomadic people, moving around in smaller family groups, looking for pastures for their Kariuna in the summer or places to provide them with shelter during the cold and dark winters. They forage on the side, making use of whatever they can find that improves their often simple and monotone diet.

The most important factor guaranteeing the possibility to practise Ssarc Miss is the permafrost soil of their homeland. Ice shields, glaciers and permanent patches of snow are used to dig shafts that are used as storages for meat, but also berries or herbs all year long. Closer to the coast, fish, clam and seaweed as well as crayfish or crabs compliment the mix. Pretty much the only food not stored in those ice shafts are Kariuna milk or cheese.

When the growth season is over, the families wander across the land, taking advantage of the food left in the shafts. This is an altruistic endeavour and the shafts are filled by everyone and equally used by everyone. These storages are marked by stone settings of certain heights or arrangements that give away the filling level, so passers-by know whether there's enough food available for their family or not. The food is dug up and thawed up and then eaten at body temperature. Sometimes, when enough fuel is available, the food is also cooked, smoked or roasted. Burying already roasted or smoked meat is also widespread.