Fhulthem Dwarven Delicacy
"The Krijic offered me a plate of what I had assumed was a charcuterie. A oaken board worn smooth with many hands and the grace of time, laden with cheese made from their boars, a strange cut of meat I had never seen nor smelled for that matter. Along with a shot glass of Dwarven Spirit and flat bread. Oh, my. The scent like heady smoke and cinnamon. Richly accented with floral components, an earthiness much like the wind cured cheeses of Port De Renard. That meat melted in my mouth, so tender as to be rendered fat. Only then did they tell me they called it Fhulthem, one of them told me with a grin that it meant famine. The cheese, rich and sweet, a marvelous pairing with the stout burned caramel twang of citrus and oak of the Spirit. The flat bread filling and buttery." -Sommelier Roi in the employ of Chateau de la Vigne
History
A delicacy that started out as a necessity. The Dwarves as they began wandering the continent, cast out from their homeland, found the need to find a way to carry food and supplies with them that was neither heavy or bulky. A practice was formed as they hunted game, they would clean away the skin and fat away from large hunks of meat, favoring haunches, breasts, and back straps. They would then cut these pieces into long thin strips and dry them over fire.
When this dried meat had lost the vast majority of its moisture, they would carry it with them. Favoring the lighter weight, this meat would either be eaten as is, or boiled in stews and soups during their nightly camps. As time went on and the four Dwarven Clans found the Valley of Mjona, they also found the War Boar. While the boars made for good hunting, they also loved that the animals were fairly intelligent and loved a challenge.
The first few herds of War boars that had come under Dwarven care, were a welcome source of food, supplies, and companionship. A strong affinity to their herds they formed, thus the Dwarves adopted many of the Boars as their Icon, leading to the Dwarves iconic Four Squared Head of a Boar as their flag. The Dwarves had built them saddles and contraptions to distribute weight for the beasts to more comfortably carry riders and supplies. However, a few of the clever Dwarves had thought outside the box.
Long had the Dwarves been plagued with the annoyance of flies and pests spoiling their meat. A few of the Caravans had begun placing the dried meat beneath the saddles of the Boars on special cloth that they used for dressing wounds. They had found that this had tenderized the meat and squeezed out even more moisture from the food, as frequent cloth changes were needed. The Dwarves loved this, it made lighter weight supplies, and made it easier to enjoy.
It wasn't long after this that the Clans had begun experimenting with this process. Incorporating various spices, marinades, drying techniques into the process. These days the process has become more art than anything else, often eaten on its own rather than being mixed into something new.
Execution
The Dwarves will clean and prepare the meat through the use smoke to preserve the meat. Some will allow the meat to age while the travel in windblown sections of the continent to allow various mold spore and pollen to grow on the surface of the cut. They do this to allow a complex array of flavors to form while baking in the sun. They will then cut away the top most layer of the flesh and cut the rest of the meat into long thing strips to place beneath the boar's saddles.
The Krijic are very fond of feeding this offal to their strongest male boar, typically one of the Clans foremost defender, believing the boar to grow stronger with the meal. Though, the boars themselves seem to see this as a great honor, and will pass extra shavings to his own favorites of the herd.
These thin meat slices are beaten down during the long marches each day, and develop their favors even more. Some Dwarves choosing to keep the original cloth believing it adds an additional flavor complexity, others change the cloth daily as they allow the meat to breath and oxidize. The Clans will experiment to this day about when and where things happen. Some never allow the mold and pollen to touch it, preferring complex marinades. Others prefer just salt and various seasonings. Some don't even allow the meat to be beaten down by the saddles, preferring a greater intensity of heat during the smoking process to render it lighter and drier.
All in all, it is a culinary art, different methodologies and recipes existing within the same Clans. Though, all are remarkably delicious.
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