[i]The Gastronomical Pleasures of Windbeach[/i] 
[b]High Elder Rewerturin Korkon Haggerit (160-170)[/b]
[quote=Benebub Baltrix Balderbee, ca. 162] Although Windbeach has only in recent times become a sovereign nation in its own right, it has a long and storied history as one of the richest provinces of the erstwhile Empire. The Windbeachmen have ever been far-ranging mariners, plying the Near and Far Seas for trade, adventure, and fortune; this spirit of exploration is well reflected in their cuisine, which even in times of imperial dominion was well known. The chronicler Vicus once remarked, “Give me a cup of Yellowpoint red and a rind of Tolmen cheese and I shall know happiness.” Indeed, Windbeach red wine, renowned for its peculiar floral notes, rich, stout body, and capacity to withstand long sea voyages, made it one of the most widely distributed vintages in the Empire and the favored libation of the elite. The imperial patronage of the Windbeach vineyards spurred the development of larger and swifter ships. And the returning mariners, having tasted the spices of Modi in the great ports of the imperial heartlands, developed a keen appetite for the stuff, and began to desire to trade in it themselves. Thus was the trading aspiration and pioneering spirit of the Windbeachmen born in the crucible of technological advancement, and both were inextricably bound up with cuisine.[/quote] 

[quote=Benebub Baltrix Balderbee, ca. 162] Being chiefly a maritime province, the staff of life in Windbeach is fish, along with other varieties of seafood. The warm, relatively shallow waters of the Windy Sea teem with life, and offer up bountiful harvests to Windbeach fishermen. Perhaps the most common of all Windbeach dishes would be the humble fish stew, which is subject to infinite variation depending on seasonal availability and the creativity of the cook——it is said that every fishwife in Windbeach has her own recipe. The basic principle, however, is the same: rend the oil from a portion of fatback and duck sausage; sauté garlic, onions, and parsnips in the rendered oil until golden brown; deglaze with young wine, then add anchovy broth, a splash of wine vinegar, salt, spices (if desired; there are infinite mixes that are utilized), and a heaping portion of white beans (some like to include leafy greens and root vegetables to make the dish heartier; beans, however, are indispensable); let cook for some time, roughly six or seven hours; then, when the stew has cooked down considerably and the vegetables have dissolved, add the seafood of choice, usually some portion of white fish, fresh or dried, whole sardines, prawns, and blue rock crabs; bring the mix to a boil, and once the seafood is cooked through, serve. There are a number of common condiments for the stew: garlicky pepper sauce, garlic confit, a variety of herb sauces and pastes, crisped shallots, red basil, and many more. Another indispensable addition: a hunk of crusty Windbeach sourdough flatbread, and a glass of good wine (if it can be found) or crisp small beer.  The stew is eaten at all hours of the day: breakfast after a night’s simmering for fishermen before going out for the day’s catch; luncheon, along with a number of salads and cold dishes; or for a late night dinner. 

Although the noble fish stew is the most prevalent of fish dishes, the number of ways in which the Windbeachmen prepare the fruits of the sea are as innumerable as the stars. Octopus braised in beer and doused in white pepper; sea urchin infused porridge with grains of paradise; seaweed soup with shark fin and grain; crab roe, carrot and pork skin fritters; cold pickled swordfish; grilled eel brandied and set aflame; whole fried squid; gooseneck barnacles boiled and served in a sauce of butter, cinnamon, mace, clove, and a number of herbs; sweet clams with beans, sausages, and smoked paprika; prawns fried in garlic oil and smothered in pepper sauce; an infinite variety of recipes for steamed mussels; live octopus swimming in wine; squid ink bread, the famed “black” bread of the Windbeachmen; the grand panoply of preparations would be nearly impossible to catalogue. A common tavern nosh are whole pickled sardines (for the bold: pickled fish eyes), and a spread of goat cheese and sturgeon roe on flatbread is a favorite morsel in the afternoon.[/quote] 

[quote=Benebub Baltrix Balderbee, ca. 162] But Windbeach is not only a place of broad coastal plains and windswept promontories. The interior rises in verdant, low-lying mountains, terraced hills where the famed “Yellowpoint” grapes are cultivated, and deep river gorges. Here the climate is cooler, though the infamous Windbeach summers still strike the whole country dumb for three months out of the year. The food here is heartier, and, as is only natural, has a greater focus on meat and vegetable dishes, though the influence of the sea is still keenly felt, for no part of Windbeach lies outside of eighty kilometers from the coast. The Sweetfall Valley, known for its rich earth, is for all intents and purposes the agricultural center of the country. Wheat, barley, and beans are cultivated in abundance, along with great groves of almond, hazelnut, pistachio, chestnut, olive, apple, citrus, fig, plum, and apricot. In the hills, goats and sheep are herded, and every farmer keeps pigs and chickens; cattle is quite uncommon, for there is so little room to graze them. Pork especially is the prince of meats, and of supreme quality due to the pigs’ diet of chestnuts and whole wheat berries. And just like fish, it is prepared in an unreckonable number of ways; of particular note, however, are the prime sausages and exquisite hams made by the people of the Valley. Chickens, ducks, and other fowl are likewise abundant, and some of the most famous dishes of Windbeach are poultry preparations originating here. Meats are most often stewed in alcohol (wine or beer), as is the Windbeach wont, along with nuts and dried fruits, or grilled or roasted over an open flame. A wide variety of goat and sheep cheeses are made by the hillfolk, which are exceedingly fine in quality and incorporated in a vast array of dishes, particularly in vegetable preparations and cold dishes, or served alone with pickles and fresh wildflower honey. Unlike the coast, the interior does not often use spices, relying on the quality of their meat and produce and the twin flavor giants of garlic and onion. 

The number of famous dishes are legion, to the point that the interior, rather than the coast, is known as the gastronomic heartland of Windbeach. Whole fried eggplants stuffed with duck eggs, almonds, dried figs, and pork cracklings and drizzled with honey; stewed sheep’s brains spread on bread with roasted garlic and soft cheese; pork trotters stewed with chickpeas and sausage; white bean paste with pork cracklings, scallion and pepper, used as a dip for bread; pork tripe stewed in red wine with bacon; sparrows, drowned alive in wine, roasted and eaten whole; roasted chicken rubbed with olive oil, garlic, fennel, rosemary, chives, and ground almonds, stuffed with oranges, green olives, and onions; spicy chicken feet braised in beer; duck braised in beer with prunes and stuffed with chestnuts; duck tongues stewed in honey; cold pig ear salad with garlic oil; pork cheeks braised in wine with turnips, chickpeas, and figs; fried lamb’s testicles or goat’s livers, a common tavern food; stewed spinach with mace, lemon, chickpeas, and goat cheese, one of the few spiced dishes widely eaten; mashed chestnuts with butter and goat cheese, a common side dish; chickpea flour flatbread; and finally, the famous whole roasted suckling pig or whole roasted lamb or goat, a necessary dish for any feast. All these and more are amongst the pinnacles of Windbeach cuisine.  

It is said that the people of the Sweetfall Valley, “Eat well, drink well, fuck well, and die young.” This author can attest to all of those assertions.[/quote] 

[quote=Benebub Baltrix Balderbee, ca. 162] But one would be remiss to speak of the gastronomy of Windbeach without mentioning their fabulous desserts. Just as the rest of Windbeach cuisine, the sheer number of desserts boggles the mind, and the Windbeachmen have an infamous sweet tooth. But with such fine honey, such sweet fruits, such creamy milk, such alluring spices, how could they not? Most Windbeach cuisine is made up of stews, roasts, soups, and braises, with a few odd fried dishes here and there. However, Windbeach desserts are known for being rich, slathered in honey, lavishly spiced, and, at least a great deal of them, fried. There a vast number of sweet fritters, mostly sticky with honey and splashed with sheep’s milk cream: carrot fritters, fig fritters, pumpkin fritters, hazelnut paste fritters, almond paste fritters, prune fritters, goat cheese fritters, sheep cheese fritters, and on and on. Fried chickpea flour rounds with honey, cinnamon, cardamom, and pistachio; fried dough balls stuffed with prunes and drenched in cream and sweet wine; deep fried pistachio cakes laced with orange flower water, nutmeg, and spread with plum compote; goat cheese cakes with cloves, sweet wine, and honey; these are just a few of the rich, and, at least in the opinion of this author, stomach churning Windbeach desserts. 

But there is lighter fare to be found, much preferable after a gargantuan Windbeach repast. Richly spiced goat milk custards with duck egg yolks; cool fruit puddings; pistachio and almond flour sweetmeats; apple or apricot cakes; whipped goat cheese with orange blossom water, cinnamon, and slices of blood orange; simple compotes, jams, and fruit pastes served on bread or with cheese; and, reserved for the wealthy and the powerful, fruit and wine ices, made from blocks of ice brought in from the high ranges of Aedria, which are said to be of a quality unmatched anywhere in the wide world. 

And, as is typical in Windbeach, dessert is always washed down with a glass of fine, sweet wine, or the famous Windbeach plum brandy, the perfect end note to a perfect meal. Such are the gastronomical pleasures, and life in general, in the pleasant country of Windbeach.[/quote]