Comestibles & Pigments

The plants of Ispar and Dereth that have either uses in cooking, either as an aid to flavouring food, or colouring clothes.



Little Green Seeds
Amaranthus hypochondriacus

Little green seeds are often found upon the corpses of many smaller creatures, and quite often, shreths of all sizes. On a few rare occasions, larger Tuskers have been known to carry these seeds, for purposes unknown.
A lot of creatures can be seen nibbling on these beans, yet they are almost always ejected undigested. Perhaps they perform much the same function as grit does for chickens, as an aid to digestion.

It is reputed that Therese the Herbalist, of Yanshi, is able to grow these small seeds into full grown plants in a manner of seconds, making the acquisition of dyeplants from said seeds much less of a chore.



Argenory

The silvery white pods on this plant can be used for dyeing clothing and armour, provided the correct procedures are followed with skill. The plants can be found growing in snowy mountainous regions. Below, the other plants of its kin are listed, along with the colour they produce and the kinds of terrain upon which they grow.



Berimphur

Mustard yellow, desert areas.



Colban

Royal blue, Aerlinthe isle.



Hennacin

Dark red, swamp



Lapyan

Light blue, south Direlands and beaches.



Minalim

Mint green, Vesayen Islands.



Relanim

Dark purple, Obsidian plains.



Thananim

Charcoal, Rampager & Assailer tuskers drop these, they do not grow in the wild. Perhaps they grow off-world. Note that only the seeds are dropped, and the services of Therese will be required to get the plants.



Verdalim

Dark green, non-snowy mountainous regions.



Cinnamon
Cinnamomum Cassia

A mild, warming spice, often used as a flavouring in cooking, most favourably in desserts and cakes, Cinnamon comes from the bark of a small shrub. The shrubs are rarely found growing in the wild on Dereth, but it appears that many of the denizens of the woodlands have a fondness for it, even the wood golems sometimes have sticks of cinnamon upon them. One need only strip the excess bark from the stick using a whittling knife, then grind it down in order to produce the fine powder for use in cooking.

The sticks can often be found on the ground, near monster encampments and on corpses.



Ginger
Zingiber officinale

With a taste not dissimilar to that of peppers and nutmeg combined, ginger has been used for many centuries as a stimulant for the circulation, cure for upset stomachs, sore throats and as a promoter of persperation in treating fevers. It is a relaxing herb that can either be taken as an infusion, decoction, eaten raw, or cooked. Most notably however, it can be used in many different dishes, raging from the Sho stir-fry, to the Aluvian gingerbread recipe. The latter proves popular with children, especially when the uncooked dough has first been cut into shapes, such as the Gingerbread Drudge, or Gingerbread Tumerok.
I must admit that I do find these biscuits both tasty and amusing.

Ginger can be found growing wild in many of the Sho lands.



Nutmeg
Myristica fragrans

Most likely grown in the Sho homelands, and the less arid Gharu regions, the nutmeg tree is a tropical, dioecious evergreen. The trees fruit can be used in a variety of ways, firstly the spice Mace, consisting of the dried aril, or lacy covering, of the nutmeg fruit, has a slightly warm taste and a fragrance similar to that of processed nutmeg. The kernel of the fruit itself is often used to produce the spice we know as Nutmeg, therefore the entire fruit can be used as a flavouring.

Nutmeg itself is often used in bedtime drinks, and to add a delicately warm taste to desserts. It is a soporific, so aids sleep when taken in small amounts, though larger amounts are dangerous as the soporific effect is due to the fact that Nutmeg can be very poisonous in larger quantities. Nevertheless, many find the taste pleasant, and if used in moderation is quite safe.



Oregano
Origanum vulgare

Oregano is a name often used to describe the flavourful dried leaves and flowering tops of various herbs of the mint family (Lamiaceae, or Labiatae), particularly Origanum vulgare, known as Wild Marjoram to the layman. Oregano is used as a flavouring, applied most often to the top of pizzas. The pizzas flavoured with oregano have become a favourite in Dereth, and the recipe is often known as the "famous pizza".



Hot Peppers
Capsicum annuum

A number of different plants can be classified as hot peppers, all from the nightshade family, Solanaceae, notably Capsicum annuum, C. frutescens, and C. boccatum. The origin of the hot peppers used in the culinary processes of the modern Isparian is unknown, though most believe them to be a product of cooperative farming between the Sho and Gharun'dim.

Peppers have a decidedly hot flavour, and ingestion of too much can lead to extreme digestive difficulties. Numerous Sho dishes use peppers in moderation, and in some cases, they can ward off some minor effects of the cold when used carefully.



Brown beans
also known as Cacao beans

Brown beans are often found on many a monster's corpse, in much the same way as the little green seeds. Whilst (thankfully) these brown beans do not appear to have passed through the creature's digestive tract, I believe that they carry these things around and chew on them out of some form of addiction. Indeed, the product of roasting and grinding these little beans does appear rather moorish, and can be used to flavour a number of culinary delights, such as chocolate milk, chocolate bars of many types, chocolate cake and other delicious beverages.



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