I, Singing Scribe Jorder of Nareeve, give my greetings to the reader. During the course of my running of this column, I have covered many dishes of many different culinary cultures. None, however, are as close to my heart as the topic of this week's article, for today we speak of my home oasis; Nareeve.
Nareeve is an oddity among oases. Though on the smaller side of bastions, it rivals the Great Cities in cultural disparity. Each village has its own cultural identity, providing the culinary culture of Nareeve with abundant flavor and variety. Because of this, I cannot go as in-depth on the various dishes as I normally do and, as such, will be giving you, dear readers, a general overview of what one can expect from each village.
Starting with Norden, the oldest extant village in Nareeve. Norden is a remarkably friendly place with a culture of great hospitality and a general desire to get along and make friends with others. With this in mind, it is no surprise that Nordenite dishes are made large and with many servings to feed many guests. They make use of a primarily grain-based diet--made possible thanks to their positioning in the most fertile place in Nareeve--but are skilled foragers and harvest a multitude of fruits and vegetables from the surrounding locale.
Next is Surran, the traditional rivals of Norden. The Surranese are much colder than their Nordenite rivals and it is no great surprise that their dishes are smaller in scale and much more manageable for one or two people to eat off of. Like many villages all across the world, Surran treats outsiders with suspicion, but, if one manages to earn their trust, than you will be treated to hearty dishes of meat and milk--owing to their pastoral diet.
After the Surranese, we come to the mist-swept village of Melka. While Melka is rather difficult to get to, should you make it through the mists you will be welcomed with open arms. The Melkan diet consists of fairly light meals, allowing them to eat near-continuously throughout the day should they be so inclined. Melkans tend to prefer sweeter foods and add a healthy helping of sugar to all their dishes.
Following Melka, the village of Kordel is next on our list. Kordelites are a proud people skilled in the use of spear and shield. As such, they rarely prepare their own foods and rely on the skills of their slaves--often acquired from neighboring villages and cross-Sands traders. Eating a Kordel dish, however, is much the same as eating an Asketenian dish.
Asketen, the traditional victims of Kordel predations, are low in number but high in cheer. As such, they prefer their dishes to reflect their vibrant personalities and laden their foods with spices galore. If you should feast upon Asketenian food, make sure to bring plenty of fatty foods!
Archivist's Note|M3C1Y98: This document was written before the destruction of Surran in M3C1Y82
Archivist's Note|M3C1Y98-2: Correctio- [Data Lost: Corruption]
