As we continued heading south, although it did not become a daily routine, the traces of wild animals obviously became more dense.
The food shortage caused by the severe cold in winter caused many creatures to begin migrating south. However, due to some hunting regulations in the Crescent Continent based on faith and privileges, these animals were able to make their journey without being disturbed.
The more she learned about it, the more the white-haired girl felt that all aspects of Crescent Continent's society seemed very different from Rigal at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they had many similarities.
There are also hunting regulations on the west coast of Rigal where there are many kings, and it is also a privilege of the nobility.
One of the major sports used by the noble knights of Rigar to hone their war skills in the early years was hunting. Although Avenella was more open due to the promotion of the former prince, many other national forest areas were divided into various large and small private nobles. Gardening.
Prey is exclusive to nobles, and hunting privately will result in severe punishment.
The same situation in Crescent Continent has different reasons - the 4,000-year-old ancient country's local and foreign beliefs have been mixed together, combined with a social structure that is biased towards farming, and a kind of meat-based diet has been born. The mentality of "impure things".
No birds or animals can be eaten.
The very lack of meat in the dining structure of the Kazuto samurai was born out of this environment. They could only eat fish or soy products. The same is true for civilians, but it's more like they are forced by power than the samurai's willing choice.
The extreme reluctance to eat meat has led to the behavior of hunting being reduced to the lower level - scholars, farmers, industry and merchants. However, besides these classes, there are also "unclassified" "burakumin".
There is also the "Yi tribe".
The minority people who make a living by hunting are widely hostile in the Crescent Continent, from their meals to their clothing, which is mainly made of animal fur. Over the past four thousand years, the Kazu people seemed to have pushed the image of the so-called farming civilization to the extreme. Grains, vegetables, fish and soups grown by themselves became the mainstream of their diet. The meat-eaters who feast on their food and slur their mouths are all barbarians, but they are a civilized, graceful, ancient and powerful nation.
They pride themselves on this and discipline themselves on this.
But when you strip away the bluffing pretense and rules on the surface, and ignore their loyal and ritualistic expressions, there is no real difference between this behavior and what the Rigal monarchs did -
It is still a few people who use their power to demand that everyone obey their will.
It's just that compared to the simple and crude "you hunt my deer, I'll kill your horse" style of military retaliation by the monarchs in Rigar who are regarded as barbarians in Kazuto's eyes, Kazuto's social pressure method is as subtle and subtle as their own. profound.
No one said it was absolutely impossible, nor did they say you would be beheaded if you did it. But if you do it, you will be isolated and marginalized, and in the end, even the civilians will not be considered as barbarians.
When the second winter came, she found that the longer she stayed there, the more she disliked the country.
But there are no depressing thoughts that a warm meal can't cure.
What's more, Henry is still in charge of handling food today.
Even if people don't take the initiative to do it, as long as they live long enough, they will accumulate many skills indirectly. The sage's long journey means that he knows many dishes even if he doesn't take the initiative to learn, but today's dish is different from the others.
As they watched him cook, the few remaining Lamanite missionaries immediately realized what the dish was.
This is a simple and pure dish, but not everyone can afford it. There is a strong shadow of history and class behind it.
This is food that is deeply connected to his past.
Grilled wild boar with sauce.
The name is simple and the content is simple.
However, the production techniques and raw materials have strong regional and class characteristics.
The Raman trio who used giant hand cannons seized not only weapons and equipment, but also the food they carried with them was very important. The fact that Kazuto and the Rigarians are not used to each other's food does not only exist in their team. As a mercenary force of warriors from a state directly under the jurisdiction of the state, they will probably not eat with Kazuto's employer.
So the three horses also brought food and drinks that could last the three of them for several days.
Among them, the sage was given the opportunity to prepare this dish today, which was the southern Escapo wine contained in a skin water bag.
The mild climate along the Inland Sea of Mobigas is very suitable for the growth of grapes. During the Gulaman era, fruit wine and fruit vinegar made from grapes were part of the military rations. And with the cultural assimilation of what was known as Laman poison, this drink also spread throughout the northern part of the Rigal continent.
The Padrosi Empire, which claims to be the successor of the great Raman, is naturally indispensable for this kind of existence.
This dish had been around since he was still a knight of the White Church.
Several ingredients pounded in a stone mortar are still commonly used as seasonings by the nobles of the Padrosi Empire - ginger, saffron, cinnamon and nutmeg.
The reason why these four ingredients have a strong impression of aristocratic cuisine is because, except for saffron, which is produced in Padrosi, they are all native to the Crescent Continent.
Spices are a very important part of the trade between Crescent Continent and Rigal. Being able to enjoy such meals in the past when trade was less developed was a privilege for the church elite.
tomato
Except for ginger, Henry dug out the other three ingredients from Sakura's medicine cabinet.
Although Kazuto knew the value of these things, they were used as medicine rather than food.
After grinding into powder, these spices are put into a container and stirred evenly. The content of cinnamon is obviously more than other things, and it also determines the flavor base of the sauce.
After stirring evenly, he poured in the wine, and then he took out some flour - in Henry's time and in many civilian families in Rigar today, they would have mashed soaked bread instead of this step, but they had no bread at the moment.
The role of flour is to thicken the sauce. After basic stirring, place it next to the campfire and simmer slowly.
After that, it is slowly roasted over low heat to gradually thicken the soup into a sauce. During this process, be careful not to burn it and cause a bitter taste.
He left this step to the Luoan girl. The white-haired girl, together with Lulu and Ling who also came over, stared blankly at the sauce slowly churning in the pot, which was enough for everyone, while the sage himself went to deal with it. There was also a huge amount of wild boar meat.
Once again, the Oni warriors expertly hunted the wild boar. This time, instead of eating the internal organs, they took the leg meat and back meat. The Ashigaru assisted in cleaning it and then cutting it into appropriate thickness. The sage first fried them on both sides in a pot, then put them in batches into another pot next to the campfire, soaked them in wine mixed with water at a ratio of 1:1, cooked them until the flavors were basically cooked, and then took them out and baked them.
Wild boars running in the mountains actually don't have a lot of fat. Except for the suet near the organs, there is only a thin layer of fat on the belly. This kind of meat is actually not very delicious, especially if it is not processed properly, it can easily become woody and hard.
The method developed by the paladins of the White Church in the past was to soak it in fruit wine or fruit vinegar mixed with water.
The fruit wine juice in the pot was not boiled, he just put it next to the fire to warm it slightly, so that the aroma that was silent in the cold winter could better evaporate and soak into the meat.
The outside of the wild boar meat soaked with fruit wine juice has been fried in oil beforehand, so it is harder. Controlling the heat and roasting patiently can make it crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
While doing this, the Luoan girl reported to him that the gradually thickening sauce seemed to have met the demand. Henry added salt and stirred it evenly. Then, before taking it out of the pot, he poured in the jaggery while the heat was high and stirred it into it - this is also the case. I found crude brown sugar from Sakura's medicine cabinet, which is also a medicinal material in Kazuto's definition - thus completing the sauce with a unique sweetness as the main tone.
The wild boar soaked in fruit wine juice has a nice red color when cut into slices. After it is cut into slices and the sweet sauce is poured on it, even people who originally hate meat show their anticipation and excitement.
The food, which is a mixture of rich Rigal-style red wine and a large number of spices native to the Crescent Continent, makes people feel familiar and yet strange. They can smell the familiar medicinal taste from the volatile spices, but it is mixed with the fermented fruit wine. There is a big difference in the sour taste.
But after traveling for several days and accumulating in the past, no one would refuse this seemingly great meal just because of some unfamiliarity.
The satisfying thickness and weight as well as the right rich texture and flavor heal the tired soul and body. The highest praise for food is not any words but the diners quietly immersed in it.
Even the ghost warriors who can accept simple roasting are impressed by this "a lot of variety" food. Although they are fully capable of chewing dry and tough roasted meat, who would not be willing to eat processed meat? Got better food yet.
The red wine carried by the trio of Laman mercenaries was all consumed this time. Although it was purely an act of cooking on a whim as the ingredients happened to be available, this meal was destined to leave an indelible mark in the hearts of many people. Erased memories.
The hardships along the way, the many life and death crises.
Winter has arrived, and even though the surrounding evergreen broad-leaved forest seems to stubbornly still claim that it is midsummer, the strong presence of the cold wind blowing away from the campfire is indelible.
But staying by the warm campfire and eating satisfying food.
After a delectable meal, a cup of warm crude tea soothes your throat. The scene is peaceful. No one tried to express or describe it. Maybe some people thought of thanking the sage for cooking this meal, but in the end they all chose to enjoy the silence of this moment tacitly.
There are many kinds of silence, awkward silence and hostile silence are often unpleasant, but what they were experiencing was neither of those.
This is a comfortable, safe and comfortable silence that requires no words to express, just to experience.
This is precious relaxation, seize every possible opportunity to let your heart feel warm and relieved.
In these days, such opportunities are becoming increasingly rare.
