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somuchmore
Rivendell
May 14 2009, 10:19pm
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Middle Earth Recipes: The Mines of Moria
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So...the Fellowship ventured into the Mines of Moria, just escaping the tentacles of the Watcher in the water.
The Mines: not my favourite kind of place - when I read these chapters, I always try to think of the splendour of the city of Dwarrowdelf.
Only two meals are mentioned inside the Mines of Moria. The first one is on the top of the stairs just inside the West Gate: 'Let us sit and rest and have something to eat, here on the landing, since we can't find a dining-room! said Frodo.... suddenly he felt extremely hungry. The proposal was welcomed by all; and they sat down on the upper steps, dim figures in the gloom. After they had eaten, Gandalf gave them each a third sip of the miruvor of Rivendell.'
The second meal mentioned is a breakfast in Hall Twentyone of Dwarrowdelf, after a night of huddling together in a corner against the draught.
Apart from the miruvor, there is no mention of specific food, and we can only guess at what they would have in their supplies. What kind of food would give the Fellowship strength and encouragement in the dark halls and passages of Moria?
And that miruvor: any suggestions to what it could consist of?
At this location: might we allow ourselves to be inspired by the industrious and proud dwarves living there once? what would have kept up their spirits?
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(This post was edited by somuchmore on May 14 2009, 10:28pm)
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debo
Rohan
May 15 2009, 1:12am
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Food, one of my favourite subjects!
I think in Moria The Fellowship would eat: Lembas, Scroggin (dried fruits etc), dried meats, and some kind of hard biscuit that would keep well. What was the stuff Shackleton took to the South Pole and they cooked it with seal meat and made "hoosh"? Anyway, some kind of hard concentrated food like that, that would keep for months and months. Or would Lembas do the trick ? . . .
Miruvor; I always imagine as a kind of sweet fruity-tasting spirit, maybe like Cointreau, with a really delicate flavour. The Elves would make something beautiful- that's just who they are :)
Dwarves in Moria; Roast beef on a spit, as Gimli says. Lots of ale and mulled wine to keep out the cold:) Cornish pasties for snacking, lots of potatoes and carbohydrates for energy- all that mining makes a man hungry! Lots of fruit cake and Chistmas pud.
Sorry I can't provide recipes for all this!!!
Frodo; "What I chiefly need now is courage . . ."
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
May 15 2009, 3:14am
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a hard one. One would imagine with 4 hobbits some mushrooms were spotted along the way...
Boiled lichen is very good for blood and stamina though I can't say I've ever heard of a recipe. Perhaps Strider took a hart or a mountain goat along the way, roasted of course.
Let me get back to you on this.
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
May 15 2009, 3:20pm
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Also called Trail Mix. Apparently "GORP" stands for "Good Old Raisins and Peanuts", or "Granola Oats Raisins Peanuts". It's good energy food, perfect for those long hikes!
Since gorp/trail mix can be made with any ingredients that have a long shelf life, theirs might contain dried fruits (raisins, apples, pears, prunes, mango, etc.), and nuts (I wonder if there are any peanuts in Middle-earth, or if it's all tree nuts?).
Chunks of "granola" could be made using roasted whole grains mixed with a bit of honey, then chopped into small bits and sun-dried.
They could also include chips of dried meats. And, of course, chocolate pieces - there MUST be chocolate there, right?  Or some other not-too-sticky sweet.
The mixtures could be kept in individual cloth bags (this ensures that certain Hobbits do not take more than their fair shares!).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
"It struck me last night that you might write a fearfully good romantic drama, with as much of the 'supernatural' as you cared to introduce. Have you ever thought of it?"
-Geoffrey B. Smith, letter to JRR Tolkien, 1915
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simplyaven
Grey Havens
May 15 2009, 3:34pm
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Thanks, somuchmore, for contributing in such a great way! Long life to the Recipes Thread! 
Here are my guesses: as they didn't light a fire (I assume) and they didn't have anything around, they should have eaten something prepared before. My suggestions for food which tastes well and lasts long in the backpack of a traveller:
Basic dough for Boiled Dough Circles (these are not bagels)
1 kg all purpose flour (white)
1 dry yeast (I find the quick rise much better)
a bit of salt (I put one table spoon)
The yeast is to be pre-prepared according to the directions - in a bit of warm water usually. The flour, the prepared yeast and additional 2 1/2 tea cups of luke warm water with the salt in it are all mixed very well. Then you have to do some hard work with your hands and finally make a soft, flat dough with no bubbles or air in it. Then let it rest and rise for about 20 minutes. From the risen dough make 15 inch long cilinders which should be as thick as a bagel. Turn them into circles attaching both ends and leaving a hole in the middle. Then put them in a non-sticky tray and let them rest for other 20 minutes at a warm place. Then drop them in 1 litre of boiling water and boil them until they show up at the top (4-5 minutes) and float. Finally bake them at the lowest in your oven for a bit, until golden but not brown.
Now the best thing about these circles is that you can make numerous variations: add vanilla and sugar and reduce the salt for sweet circles; add dried fruits (again reduce the salt) and cinnamon with sugar for another type of sweet circles; add sesame after boiling them and bake them with the sesame seeds (yummy!); same with poppy seeds; you can add a bit of cheese or olives, or dried tomatoes and herbs like oregano or basil for a Mediterranean style, etc. They remain good for at least a week.
My most favourite Amaretti - delicious and with plenty of calories
1 1/2 tea cups of raw peeled almonds
200 grams icing sugar
2 egg whites
1 vanilla sugar
1 tea spoon of almond flavouring (mine is liquid, I think it is essence)
You have to put 1 cup of the almonds in the blender and blend them reallly well. Then add the icing sugar and blend again. Then add the egg whites but not all together - separate them into three portions and after adding each one blend again. At the end add the vanilla sugar and the essence and blend again. In a tray, on a baking sheet, use a spoon to form circles of the dough. The remaining almonds put on top of the biscuits for decoration. Bake at 190 degrees Celcius (preheat oven) for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool down and only after that remove them from the baking sheet, otherwise they will break! Enjoy!
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My rambling on food, cooking, wine and other life pleasures
I believe
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somuchmore
Rivendell
May 15 2009, 7:15pm
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and bubbly feeling on my tongue, when tasting those amaretti biscuits  they could be a classic Elvish treat and sound like dream-biscuits! They would surely please the sweet tooths of the Fellowship.
Yes, I agree about not lighting a fire, so cold meals again. But not necessarily dull food.
I've never tried a recipe, where you first boil the dough and then bake it  it sounds very interesting.
Variation is really the key here. The sesame and the poppy seeds variations sound delicious, especially when they get a bit of colour in the oven. It really adds to the flavour.
And cinnamon:  you could sell me anything with cinnamon, I think!
Thank you for contributing yet again with interesting recipes 
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Alassëa Eruvande
Valinor
May 15 2009, 8:11pm
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I think a Cornish pasty might be a reasonable thing for the Fellowship to have carried into Moria. They could have made them in Rivendell and brought them along.
Anyway, pasties (pronounced "past-tees", with a short "a") were little pie-like things that the Cornish miners carried for their lunch into the mines. They were pretty self-contained, with all the meat and vegetables tucked inside the pastry. They could be wrapped up and kept hot, and some miners' wives even made them with dessert in one end. You just put your apple pie filling in one end, sealed it with a slice of potatoe, and put the meat and vegetables in the other end. Pretty clever, if you ask me.
Everybody's got their favorite recipe, some more sacriligious than others. Mine is "sacriligious" because I like to eat it with brown gravy, which would not have worked out in the mines. My cousins eat theirs with ketchup, which I can't even look at.
Cornish Pasty, the way I make it.
Pie dough recipe of your choice, to make four 8 inch crusts. (*whispers* I have been know to use store-bought dough, but it's a little too thin and flaky. You need one that is rolled out and slightly tough, so you can tuck the pasty into your pocket!)
1 lb. ground beef, lightly browned and cooled
2 potatoes, cut into small pieces
1 cup shredded or matchstick carrots
1 onion, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
butter or margarine
Preheat oven to 425.
Mix all ingredients, except butter.
Divide onto the four 8-inch pastry rounds.
Add a plop of butter to each one.
Fold dough over to get a half circle and crimp edges together. Don't let the filling poke through.
Make 3-4 slits in pastry to allow steam to escape during baking.
Put on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, or lightly greased.
Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then turn down to 325 and bake 50-60 minutes more.
Makes four pasties, enough for 4 men or 2 hobbits.
My grandfather was a miner in Butte, Montana, and often talked about pasties. They called it a letter from 'ome.
You can publish this one, too.
And suddenly the Ainur saw afar off a light, as it were a cloud with a living heart of flame.
(This post was edited by Alassëa Eruvande on May 15 2009, 8:12pm)
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somuchmore
Rivendell
May 15 2009, 8:19pm
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a playground for ideas, really and does it contain any alcohol? In my mind it doesn't have to, in order to have that almost magical effect. But any opinion is valid here.
Gandalf calls it the cordial of Imladris, and Tolkien continues with this description of it, when they drink it, stuck in the snow on Caradhras: 'As soon as Frodo had swallowed a little of the warm and fragrant liquor he felt a new strength of heart, and the heavy drowsiness left his limbs. The others also revived and found fresh hope and vigour.'
Back in the woods above Woodhall, the Hobbits are given a drink by the Elves. It doesn't say anywhere that it is miruvor, so this is just speculation. Pippin recalls a drink: '..he drained a cup that was filled with a fragrant draught, cool as a clear fountain, golden as a summer afternoon.'
And the next day, when they continue their journey, they find that the Elves had filled up their bottles 'with a clear drink, pale golden in colour: it had the scent of a honey made of many flowers, and was wonderfully refreshing. Very soon they were laughing, and snapping their fingers at rain, and at Black Riders.' So pretty powerful stuff, and perhaps something you need to imbibe with medicinal precautions?
I always think of something with the fragrance, colour and taste of a concentrated elder flower-drink, because I find that drink very spirit-lifting. But I also agree on your Cointreau-association for the miruvor-drink.
Great suggestions for Dwarven foods, especially the fruit cake. The Hobbits and the Dwarves probably share the same love for food and drink - (almost) nothing stops them!
About recipes: of course it's good to have recipes, but ideas and inspiration are equally important. So thank you, and just let it flow in this direction another time
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somuchmore
Rivendell
May 15 2009, 8:50pm
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I will get back to that as well. Just have to check out something first.
Lichen? just one of those random notes you see somewhere: I read that in Greenland they have found lichen that is supposed to be about 10.000 years old - it can be very slow in growth
But it's certainly an interesting idea ;-D
And the mountain goat-thought: yes, sometimes you do want them to have something..different?
I say go for it, SirD 
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somuchmore
Rivendell
May 15 2009, 9:15pm
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Maybe that was my poorly hidden agenda but I'm not sure I'll get away with it, though. We're following the Fellowship, and the different 'catering facilities' could be seen as reflecting the varying hardships and pleasures they experience on their journey.
However, this is probably the one place in the LotR, where the concentration of Dwarven culture might tempt you to think of the pleasures of Dwarven cuisine. Gimli must have had one or two thoughts of happy feasting during those days and nights in the Mines of Moria.
So Beef Wellington and '..red meat off the bone!' : Gimli in sweet dreams.
On his behalf: thank you!
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
May 15 2009, 9:35pm
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They were still going on provisions from Rivendell and GORP was likely a staple travelling food.
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
May 15 2009, 9:38pm
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delicious and perfect for the dreary road that lay ahead. Something to sustain them and lift their spirits to be sure.
Thank you for the history as well.
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somuchmore
Rivendell
May 15 2009, 9:59pm
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or is it 'smart' food..no matter: your recipe is just right for this location!
And thank you for the little story to go with it. I really like that dessert version of the pasty.
I suppose each family would have their own variation of the filling, spices etc, within the concept, of course.
I have tasted Cornish pasties several times in England, but I have never made any myself. It doesn't sound that complicated to make.
I usually make 'cake' pies with blueberries or rhubarb and apples, and that pie dough has suger in it. 'Food' pies, or Cornish pasties, probably don't have sugar in the dough? I think I'll have to do a little experimenting.
I know what you mean about gravy, ketchup etc. There are many ways to up- or downgrade a dish 
Thank you for your delicious contribution!
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somuchmore
Rivendell
May 15 2009, 11:38pm
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I was thinking about peppermint candy bits. But I'm not too sure about the non-stickyness, it depends on how they are packed. But I can imagine the Elves making candy, adding different flavours.
The peppermint candy could provide a fresh(er) breath, and they are cheery, I think. But they would probably need to be watched over by Gandalf  oh, really, I could imagine any one of the Fellowship developing a taste for those.
The chocolate issue: yes, sigh. Somewhere in Middle Earth there must be the right conditions to grow cocoa trees
The Fellowship might have brought some kind of 'heavy' chocolate chip and nuts cookies.
Peanuts: I quick-googled: they prefer sandy soil and need about 3-4 frostfree months to grow. So maybe, down south somewhere in ME?
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GaladrielTX
Tol Eressea
May 16 2009, 12:21am
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I imagine miruvor tastes like Frangelico but not as cloying. /
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~~~~~~~~
The TORNsib formerly known as Galadriel.
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Finduilas101
Rivendell
May 16 2009, 8:01pm
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Probably mostly dried fruit and bread, although all that dust was probably murder on the fruit.
[url=http://dragcave.net/view/n/Nyzina] [url=http://dragcave.net/view/n/Florest] [url=http://dragcave.net/view/51mN] [url=http://dragcave.net/view/QCHc] [url=http://dragcave.net/view/GTCd]
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simplyaven
Grey Havens
May 17 2009, 2:08am
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here I'm giving away the Elvish secret! My guess is related to my home land. In the 5-6th century when the ancient tribes of Bulgarians conquered the lands around Dunabe and made a union with the seven Slavic tribes there, a famous drink was born out of the skills of both nations. It is indeed famous and known in Germany and France too, although prepared slightly different and adjusted to the local taste. It is called Medovina ("med" meaning honey so you get it - something honey made). There is a drink called the same way in Russia but it is not the same drink and is not that old. The drink has inspired as many myths and legends about itself as the pantheon of Ancient Greek Gods! What unites them all is "it revives, strenghtens the body and the soul, brings light to even dying eyes and a ray of sun to even the darkest abyss."
Medovina
10 litres soft water (best is to have distilled or simply pre-boiled)
3.6 kg honey (the purer, the better)
2 lemons
2 grams of cloves (spice)
10-12 grams of cinnamon (that is roughly a tablespoon)
3-4 tablespoons of fresh honey to help the fermentation of the mixture (yeast can work too but should be beer yeast)
The water is brought to the heat (average) and the honey is gradually added while stirring continuously. It should dissolve fully in the water. Then let it all boil for 1 hour. Pour the mixture in a barrel (wine barrel) made of natural oak wood with a tough and fitting very well lid. Never pour in anything made of glass or it will burst afetr a few days. The barrel should allow at least three more litres of liquid to be poured in, therefore choose a big enough barrel. Add the peels of two lemons and the herbs. Finally add the fresh honey or the yeast and stir very well. Then the barrel should be equipped with something which we call "fermentation cork" and it is used in wine making. It is a cork from which a thin hose comes out. Now let the mixture ferment at 15-20 degrees Celcius. After 8 weeks the medovina becomes clear as the fermentation has done its job. The best is to let it rest for 4 weeks more. It is extremely aromatic, definitely yummy and doesn't taste like alcohol. However, more than two glasses will bring more than light to the eyes! I just want to mention that in the days of old the spices were not these as they were not native to our lands. Men used to add whatever aromatic herbs they had around, preferably chamomile, the flowers of lime tree, rose petals, St John's wort, etc. I personally still prefer the medovina with chamomile, lime flowers and rose petals as its fragrance is unforgettable!
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(This post was edited by simplyaven on May 17 2009, 2:11am)
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simplyaven
Grey Havens
May 17 2009, 2:14am
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I've never heard of such "two-in-one" intelligent food! I'm definitely trying these, maybe even this weekend! Thanks so much for this, I'm a great fan of these lands and I'm even re-reading now the "Cornish Mystery" by Agatha Christie!
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somuchmore
Rivendell
May 17 2009, 5:49pm
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but I suppose it's some kind of a liqueur?
and I think you're right about the not-cloying: not that imposing on your taste buds (I'm not sure 'imposing' is the right word, but it'll have to do ).
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(This post was edited by somuchmore on May 17 2009, 5:53pm)
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somuchmore
Rivendell
May 17 2009, 6:01pm
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my mother making something similar, perhaps closer to eclairs. The type of dough was called 'vandbakkelser', which probably is a distorted word meaning 'waterbaked cakes'. They would be fluffier and more delicate to the touch than the ones in your picture.
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somuchmore
Rivendell
May 17 2009, 6:38pm
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the Wycliffe (detective) novels by W.J.Burley. I haven't read the novels myself, but I have seen many of the episodes of the TV-series based on them. You see a lot of the scenery in the area. Not that many cornish pasties around, though
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somuchmore
Rivendell
May 17 2009, 6:53pm
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might be a problem, but Dernwyn's suggestion of GORP/granola/trail mix could make up for that: the crunchiness and different flavours from the fruit would hide it, I hope.
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somuchmore
Rivendell
May 17 2009, 7:38pm
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oh, this is indeed an inspired recipe :-D
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thank you so much, simplyaven
I really like: 'brings light to even dying eyes and a ray of sun to even the darkest abyss' and also that little warning of exceding two glasses It sounds as if it would be tempting to do so.
It does have some of the characteristics I would expect, and apart from the taste itself, I guess you could also use it to help chase away a cold.
I wonder if it is possible to buy it in shops..you have tempted me with that chamomile-lime flower-rose petal-version.
And thank you for the fascinating historical background. These were difficult and turbulent times in Europe, but undoubtedly also innovative in many aspects.
Your story also brings images to my mind of these people experimenting to get it just right
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