# The Elven Cuisine of the 3rd Age



## Elaini (Nov 3, 2018)

Hobbits and Elves are probably to best chefs of Middle-Earth, though I reckon the difference is that the Hobbit food is your homely bowl of mushroom soup and pie, as Elves go more in the culinary lines of Michelin star restaurants. Both are great in a different way, especially given the right timing.

_Inspirations_

Considering how long the Elves live they sure have gotten experience and time for many experiments. When the food of Middle-Earth is considered I usually start with medieval kitchen but in the case of Elves perhaps there's a realistic reason to look at our later centuries for inspiration. As long as their food is always organic.

Though even the medieval food was more advanced than many like to think, not only the stew and roast that you come across in medieval roleplay ever so often. Would it be a surprise if I said that medieval people already knew the recipes for organic food colouring?

_Agriculture_

Once it's considered that the Elves have had plenty of time to bring seeds all the way from Valinor and the northern and southern reaches of Beleriand, the diversity of the plants they grow for food could very well be comparable to ours, with some plants included that do not exist in our world. War of Wrath lasted for about 40 years, there was plenty of time to save the seeds for crops before the flood.

If one wants to use the extended list of cultivated vegetables used in the medieval Europe as an example, the texts from there mention at least gourd, cucumber, artichoke, spinach, leek, melon, lemon etc. But considering even Valinor, could Elves have known spices like vanilla?

Here's a few quotes from The Lord of the Rings:



> But he (Pippin) remembered that there was bread, surpassing the savour of a fair white loaf to one who is starving; and fruits sweet as wildberries and richer than tended fruits of the gardens; he drained a cup that was filled with a fragrant draught, cool as clear fountain, golden as a summer afternoon.





> The food was mostly in the form of very thin cakes, made of meal that was baked a light brown on the outside, and inside was the colour of cream. _Gimli_ took up one of the cakes and looked at it with a doubtful eye.
> '_Cram_,' he said under his breath, as he broke off a crisp corner and nibbled at it. His expression quickly changed, and he ate all the rest of the cake with relish.
> 'No more, no more!' cried the Elves laughing. 'You have eaten enough already for a long day's march.'
> 
> ...



The recipe for the real lembas was first invented by the Yavanna, and the corn (read: grain) needed for the recipe was also created by her. The secret of the authentic recipe has been granted only to a select few, and Galadriel is one of them.

I also see no reason why Elves wouldn't have used dairy to make cheese.

_Meat / Fish_

Some who depict the Elves like to portray them as vegetarians. An Elf can have such a choice of being a vegetarian or vegan of course, though the Elves are known to hunt. At least the princes of Noldor and the Elves of Mirkwood have done so, and venison seems to be their favourite game.

It is also not a strange idea that the sea loving Elves such as Falmari or Falathrim catch fish or shellfish and also collect seaweed on the side, since they are great in all things related to ships and they dive for pearls.

_Sweeteners_

Bees are able to extract honey from nut or almond blossoms and it has a unique flavour, and mallorn trees produce silver nuts. Thus the mallorn honey has been often used an ingredient in a roleplay before. What adds to the special flavour of the ingredient is that the mellyrn grow in Lothlórien of course, but are originally from the island of Tol Eressëa in Valinor. This makes the mallorn honey work as a very elvish sweetener.

Whether the Elves have probably discovered the other kind of organic sweeteners that can be likened to sugar as we know it (though is likely healthier) can be speculated. Grape sugar might be such.

_Beverages_

Elves are known to enjoy alcoholic beverages, especially wine. Actually they do not get drunk easily, so to get drunk they would have to drink the stronger alcohol such as the famous Dorwinion wine served in Mirkwood.

Another mentioned beverage is the fragrant miruvor which is mead or liquor made of flowers and it's served both as a festive drink and a cordial.

Anyway, here's for my research, now tell how you see it.


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## LeRodent (Mar 8, 2021)

Elaini, I like your thoughts. I agree that elves would be 100% organic in their inclinations. I doubt that there were many vegetarian or vegan elves, given the medieval-oriented setting, though as you say, they would acknowledge the choice. 
Other than that, I will add the following since it was fresh in my mind, having just reread this section:
"'And you need not turn up your nose at the provender, Master Gimli,' said Merry. 'This is not orc-stuff, but man food, as Treebeard calls it. Will you have wine or beer? There's a barrel inside there--very passable. And this is first-rate salted pork. Or I can cut you some rashers of bacon and broil them, if you like. I am sorry there is no green stuff: the deliveries have been rather interrupted in the last few days! I cannot offer you anything to follow but butter and honey for your bread. Are you content?'"
TT, chapter 9

Then, of course comes the pipe weed...


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## Council_of_Gondor (Mar 9, 2021)

Very interesting reading! two questions though:
You mention that mallorn honey is often used in roleplaying games? Which ones?
Also do you think they would eat the silver nuts as well?


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