Cirashala
Doriath
Aug 4 2022, 1:21am
Views: 6825
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Hello all!
I've been thinking a lot lately about two of my favorite subjects...Middle-earth, and food 
Food is not only a necessary thing for survival of even the strongest elf, and hardiest dwarf, but, as the tales are largely told from the hobbits' perspectives, it appears quite frequently in Middle-earth. We oft have a veritable "food diary" as our heroes journey throughout Arda, which is one of the, admittedly few, times we see Tolkien delve into a very real and pragmatic aspect of daily living in his tales.
I happen to enjoy cooking, and am strongly considering the idea of, as my grocery budget allows, making Middle-earth inspired meals (with necessary substitutions for things that either aren't available to me, or don't exist in real life). I would like my meals to be inspired by not only the various races of Middle-earth, but also the regional diets as well (Mirkwood elves would, I imagine, eat a little differently than Elrond's household would. Probably more hunter-gatherer than farming and animal husbandry, for example).
The one thing I won't eat or cook with is alcohol, because I don't drink, for many reasons, and I won't buy it, either. I AM willing to sub in grape juice and sparking apple cider, though I'm not sure what I'd use in place of malt beer and honey mead (I also don't like the bitter taste of alcohol, or bitter things in general). Probably just stick to herbal tea or the aforementioned juices. I also detest mushrooms (I know, not very hobbity of me!), so I'll skip those as well.
Anyway, the point of my post is to compile a list of foods found throughout Tolkien's novels, and (if not real) viable modern substitutes. I actually live in an avid outdoor area with lots of hunters, and have friends who hunt, so (while it might cost me, or I might have to barter) I might be able to obtain venison. In fact, though I'm not a fan of ribs, someone gave us a few venison short-ribs. But I can probably procure actual venison/deer meat. I'll sub wild boar with store-bought ham, that sort of thing.
So, without further ado, please send me lists of
a) foods you've remembered seeing mentioned in his books, or viable substitutes for them, and
b) if you're fortunate enough to either be a botanist, herbalist, or a western or southwestern European who is used to foraging for wild edibles in the deciduous European woods and maritime areas (thinking Gondor, Ithilien, and Lebennin would be similar to Italy and Greece in climate. Mirkwood and Dale would be akin to woods and farmlands of Germany and Poland, etc), if you'd send me lists of wild edibles for those regions, I can probably conjure up some storebought substitutions
I'll start:
honey
bread (likely a whole grain of some kind)malt beer (not sure on sub)Ale (not sure on sub)honey mead (not sure on sub)
wine (sub grape juice)herbal teamilk (hobbits kept cows, so presumably that means milk and butter and cream and cheese)
sausages
bacon
wild boar (sub ham)
venison
salt
apples (Poor Fili! I'll enjoy them for him  )
cram (I can probably find a recipe for hardtack online, though might modify so it's softer)
presumably fish, given oceanic and river regions
mushrooms (I'll skip them, but someone else may enjoy them)
potatoes (boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew!)
Lembas (one bite may not fill me up, but I KNOW I've seen recipes for them)
twice-baked honey cakes
acorns (and probably acorn flour-I've seen it on Amazon)
If you can think of others, I'll happily add to my list! Looking forward to journeying through Middle-earth hobbit-style! Though I may not eat as much as they do, or I might need six young dwarves to carry ME 
My writing and novels:
My Hobbit Fanfiction
My historical novel print and kindle version
My historical novels ebook version compatible with all ereaders
You can also find my novel at most major book retailers online (and for those outside the US who prefer a print book, you can find the print version at Book Depository). Search "Amazing Grace Amanda Longpre'" to find it.
Happy reading everyone!
(This post was edited by Cirashala on Aug 4 2022, 1:27am)
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