Shelaera Fruit
What is Shelaera Fruit?
Foremost known for its exuberant self-fermentation, Shelaera fruits are a kind of fruit that grows from swamp-loving trees in Tachamund (known as Shelaera trees). Unfortunately, they go from delicious to rotten pretty quickly, so the whole fruits are only found on local markets. Technically, they're at their most delicious when they've just started to rot! Although the trees grow in wet climates where they fruit year-round, this narrow cusp of deliciousness turns them into something of a delicacy that is savored carefully at special meals. It's quite possible to get drunk while eating raw Shelaera fruits at this 'height of deliciousness', so caution is advised. The people who eat the most Shelaera fruits typically eat them 'early' when they show no sign of rot whatsoever, which is the safest way to consume them. With even a little experience, most dragons can identify the readiness of the fruit for either purpose by a sniff.
Shelaera juices, aka Shelaera cider, can be extracted and stabilized, with varying alcohol content. The most popular varieties in theomes where Shelaera trees grow is a sweet 'early cider' which is a 'small' alcohol that is hard to get drunk on. The most stable, storeable, and thus broadly tradeable variety of Shelaera cider is much more processed, producing a much stabler and more alcoholic 'late cider' that is a bit infamous as something that people used to local Shelaera ciders get surprised by. Inexperienced travellers are advised to ask whether the Shelaera cider on the menu is early or late cider!
Where is Shelaera fruit found?
The greatest concentration of Shelaera fruits is in Lauvera and Denxalue, where it is known as a local specialty and often thought to be a specific creation of the local land god. Locals sometimes jest that Lauvera loves seeing wildlife get drunk.
Shelaera trees are less common in other theomes, but many of the swampy theomes in Theoma have a few. Since the fruits are well-loved by the dragons of Theoma, these wild Shelaera trees are no accident, but are the product of people picking the seeds from the Shelaera fruits to bring the trees to new theomes.
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