Kren's Cave-style Cooking

Tasty bugs and fungus

Written by JRTRPG

"Ya' know, a lot of people survived the end by livin' in caves. But I don't think anyone ate as good as the Torchtown folk. Tell ya' what, they can cook up a mushroom like nobody's business. You'll see when we get there, we'll go to Kren's, she's the best cook in town."

A descendant of the first citizens to leave the caves and found Torchtown, Kren Cattlebore has kept the recipes from the caves alive. Expanding on the recipes passed-down involving common fungus and insects found in caves across Pritvy, Kren has created a popular guide to cooking cave-style.
Over the past 20 years, the recipe book has found its way far and wide, inspiring cave-style restaurants across the region. The recipes offer very nutritious food made with readily available ingredients, and its quite possible that the prevalence of the book has saved multiple people from starvation.

Purpose

Kren's Cave-style Cooking originated as recipes passed down through word-of-mouth among the people surviving in the caves below Torchtown. The abundant fungi and insects in the local cave system kept the original founders of Torchtown well fed while they established their first farms. Although eventually there were many new food sources, those from the caves found special comfort in eating the recipes they grew up with.
Even as new generations were born outside the caves, locals still loved the old recipes. As Torchtown became more popular, it turned out travelers loved the food as well. Thirty years ago, Kren Cattlebore opened her cave-style restaurant in Torchtown. Her dishes were not only tasty and nutritious, but the ingredients could be found in nearly any cave system in the region. It didn't take long before many travelers were asking Kren for her recipes, so they could share them with other communities in the region.
Kren eventually collaborated with a traveling publisher. Her collected recipes, Kren's Cave-style Cooking, has been in print since. Over a thousand copies have been distributed, making their way across the region. The ingredients of cave-style cooking are very common and not generally sought after, spurring many entrepreneurs across the region into making their own cave-style food carts and restaurants.
With the popularity of her book, Kren has become a bit of a celebrity chef. Her restaurant is an extremely popular stop for many travelers, and the promise of original Kren food brings many folks to Torchtown each year. Kren uses her popularity and wealth to further her true passion, supporting the local orphanages and health clinics.

Type

Guide, How-to

Medium

Paper