CUISINE OF EDELITH
Sand-Crust Roast
The most common way of preparing meat in Tarpaul Pit, hunters harvest the fattiest flesh of scavenger animals such as hyenas, coyotes, or worgs. To prepare it for the slow-bake process, they pad it with layers of salt and ash from charred bone until it is coated in a sooty dredge. Rarely, if an individual is a high ranking member of the guard or has imported from Inner Edelith, dried herbs and spices are sparsely seasoned, adding some well-deserved flavor to an otherwise mundane meal.
Once coated in the crust, the meat is wrapped in the leather of the animal slain and bundled up using a small amount of twine. The desert dwellers then move to an area consistently beaming with sunlight, such as atop a tall dune, and bury the rasher under a layer of pristine sand uncluttered by rubble. The sand dwellers then wait. By day, the pure sand absorbs the heat of the sun, baking the wrapping in a kiln of hot earth. By night, a Watchman camps out, using a campfire to keep the sand tempered until early morning and to ward off any unwanted guests.
After many days have passed, the package is dug up to reveal a juicy and savory roast slow-cooked by the sun’s heat alone. The meal is kept preserved in the leather wrap until it is needed for a long expedition in the wastes. Prioritizing energy and nutrition, this fatty and easy to pick apart delicacy has been passed down the generations long before Edelith’s wastes formed, tracing back to Solstitheo's wildlands. But even still, the people of Tarpaul Pit have innovated on these age-old rations, modifying the recipe to produce a hearty jerky.
Enfernabloom Sushi Rolls
A craft said to have originated from Kojin himself, sushi-making has been adopted into New Arvegum’s culture with open arms. And, with an influx of travelers finding safe refuge in the city, Enfernabloom Temaki quickly arose to become the most iconic food in the City of Sparks.
Its namesake, the Enfenabloom, is harvested in a not fully ripened state as mature crops have the potential to be poisonous. The largest leaves and petals are plucked and dried out over intense flame to give them a foil-like texture, allowing them to mend into rolls. For the filling, Arvegum citizens must search outside the city walls in local fish ponds. The smoke lingering above the city has polluted the once thriving tributaries, causing the cultivation of more sensitive fish to be moved away from New Arvegum’s boundary. Combined with a variety of trout, seasoned Woodsworn rice and cucumbers are acquired in the local markets. Per preference, Enfernabloom seeds are also mixed into the rice to give a high heat flavor.
Once the ingredients are all gathered, the Enfernabloom leaves are wrapped in conical shape around the rice, fish, and cucumber. Once the rolls are made, they are served fresh at communal events, gladiatorial matches, or personal celebrations with a topping of roe and sweet chili sauce. As thanks for the sacrifices Kojin made to defeat the Beast, a prayer is said before serving guests. But the tradition has taken a more playful turn recently, as the issuer stuffs an entire roll into their mouth at the end of the blessing.