Cuisine

The cuisine of Zarthura is rooted in traditions that go back for hundreds of years. While they have been gradually influenced by foreign trade, many classic staples have been retained. The following is a non-exhaustive list of ingredients that are commonly associated with Zarthurian cuisine:

• Apricots
• Beer
• Bread
• Caviar
• Chocolate
• Cinnamon
• Coffee
• Cucumber
• Dates
• Elderberries
• Feta Cheese
• Figs
• Fish
• Flatbread
• Garlic
• Grapes
• Honey
• Honey cake
• Lamb
• Lemons
• Lentils
• Olives
• Onions
• Oysters
• Pigeon
• Pistachios
• Plums
• Pomegranates
• Red Wine
• Rhubarb
• Rice
• Saffron
• Sparrow
• Tangerines
• Turnips
• Walnuts
• Yogurt

A variety of spices and herbs can be added for flavor, though the former are typically expensive imports that can only be purchased with Gil and therefore confined to the tables of the truly wealthy. Meats are often preserved by salting, and fruits such as dates or raisins are commonly dried for long-term storage. Honey is the primary sweetener, but rather expensive; the cheaper alternative is usually either dates or figs.

The biggest staples for Zarthurian cuisine are bread, lentils, rice, and beer. Bread and beer are usually prepared in the same location, as the yeast used for bread is also used for brewing. The two are prepared either in special bakeries or, more often, at home, with any surplus sold at a local market. While red wine is a classic Zarthurian signature product and a very popular beverage of choice, its status as a luxury good makes it considerably less accessible than beer to the general public.