The crula test

Crula is a staple of Galternene cuisine, as both an everyday snack food and a carefully-prepared delicacy. Mass-produced crula is fragile, easily falling apart into brittle fragments. As a snack, servings are individually wrapped in thin leaf plate, eaten in two bites, and the inevitable crumbs poured from the wrapper into the mouth. Crula prepared in an eatery, however, must be of a different consistency. As a delicacy, it is served on a plate and eaten with tongs; if it falls apart, it is bad credit to the establishment. Therefore, any aspiring chef must pass the crula test in order to work in a kitchen of good reputation.

Execution

The applicant is given the use of the eatery's kitchen, ingredients, and utensils.  She is given one hour to prepare a tray of crula to present to the judges; this is just enough time to make a second batch if the first is unsatisfactory.  When the time is up, the applicant slices the crula into squares in front of the judges.  They observe how easily the crula cuts, whether the edges are crisp, if the surface is soft.  Then each judge selects a piece of crula from a different place in the tray and lifts it with tongs, to see if it droops or crumbles.

Components and tools

The ingredients for both versions of crula are the same: eggs, ground thumbnuts, sweetener, water, and flavorings of choice.  The key is in controlling the amount of overall moisture in the dough.  A careful chef must balance the amount of added water against the size of the eggs.  Too much, and the crula cannot hold itself together when picked up.  Too little, and the pressure of the tongs breaks it into crumbs.  A properly oiled baking tray is also critical, since even perfectly made crula will fail the test if any part of it sticks to the tray.

Observance

The crula test is held in the quieter part of the eatery's work cycle, between the mid-shift and late-shift meals.  A batch of crula that passes the judges' inspection is served to the late-shift diners as the final part of the test.  If a majority approve of the taste, the applicant is accepted into the kitchen staff.

Important Locations

• Galtern

Related Ethnicities

• Galternene

Close, but too dry. by The Big G

Success! by The Big G