Belsedori cuisine (Aurora)

Belsedori cuisine is the collective dishes, food traditions, and cooking methods practiced by the Belsedori of Terra Aurora. It is descended from an adapted form of the human-originated cooking practices that existed in Old Belsegallia, which were adjusted where necessary to render inherited dishes and food preparation methods compatible with the available ingredients, environment, and technology of Belsegallia. Modern Belsedori cuisine has since grown to develop its own foods and food preparation techniques that make better use of ingredients unique to Belsegallia and the Belsedori, allowing for a wider variety of dishes.

Distinctive ingredients

Milk and dairy products

The most signature feature of Belsegallian food is its extremely heavy use of milk and derived dairy products such as cream, butter, and cheese. Unprocessed Belsedori’s milk possesses a naturally high level of sweetness and richness that leads it to resemble sweetened heavy cream more than terrestrial dairies like cow’s or goat’s milk; because of this, it is often de-sweetened by removal of the sugar when it is used in savory dishes. Milk and dairy products are ubiquitous throughout all levels of Belsedori cuisine, including all types of meal as well as snacks, beverages, and desserts, while milk is also commonly consumed in plain form.

Meats and seafood

Meats and seafoods are used relatively sparingly in Belsedori cuisine due to the low rates of livestock keeping and fishing in Belsegallia. The most common meat consumed in Belsedori cuisine is four-winged moa and other related poultry species, followed by smaller game birds. Other meats include pork from wild boar, the meat of fir spiders, and the meat of lesser bronze wyvern & related lesser draconoids.

Belsegallian honey

Belsegallian honey is an unusual type of honey that sees frequent use in Belsegallian cooking; alongside salt, sugar, and pulverized Witch’s Tourmaline, it is one of the principal spices of Belsedori cuisine. It is deep violet-purple in color and possesses a flavor resembling a sweet combination of bananas, cherries, and strawberries, bearing little commonality with conventional honey. Its sweet, fruity taste makes it a traditional flavoring syrup added to milkshakes, ice cream, tea, and other beverages & sweets, though it also sees usage as a glaze for ham and other meats.

Magic

Belsedori cuisine is known for making frequent use of highly energetic magical substances as ingredients, both because such ingredients taste spicy to Belsedori and because they are obligate arcanovores. Due to the inability of Belsedori to taste the normal spiciness present in peppers and other such foods, and the limited variety of other spices available in Belsegallia, magical substances are one of the principal methods of flavoring Belsedori food. The preferred source of magic in recipes is Witch’s Tourmaline, though other substances are occasionally used when they are available.

Beverages

Non-dessert beverages in Belsedori cuisine are largely limited to milk, milk-based beverages, fruit juices, and tea. Because Belsedori are unable to become intoxicated by alcohol like many terrestrial races, their cuisine does not possess any deliberately alcoholic beverages; however, some prepared drinks do contain incidental alcohol as a result of the production process.

Milk and milk-based beverages are the most commonly consumed beverages in Belsegallia. In addition to consumption in plain form, where it resembles an unflavored, un-frozen milkshake, Belsedori’s milk is also frequently combined with extra flavorings such as Belsegallian honey, fruit syrups and cordials, and pulverized Witch’s Tourmaline. Milk tea is also a popular drink throughout Belsegallia.