Khot cuisine

Khot cuisine refers to the culinary traditions of the Khots.

Cookware and utensils

Khots are nomadic, and as such require cookware that is sturdy, easy to transport and quick to set up. These are usually made of birch bark or soapstone. Metal cookware is used but obtained exclusively through trade, and as such is highly prized. Cookware includes:

• Xaata ternör (Khot-Phyrean script: xāta ternör) - "fire hole," a long, shallow firepit made in soily ground and fueled by timber. Long bones, usually the fibulae of reindeer, are placed parallel to each other over it to cook food over.
• Pölüd (pölyd) - a large, broad ceramic pot used for making stews and soups over an open flame. Their walls tend to be thick to withstand wear and impact while moving.
• Törped (törped) - a flat circular soapstone pan used for frying.
• Tilteen (tiltēn) - any kind of spit over an open flame.
• Xünöd (xunöd) - a drying rack.
• Tüle perter (tyle perter) - "keeper vase," a cylindrical ceramic vessel used for storage of food.
• Süüdül perter (syydyl perter) - "foul-smell vase," a curvy ceramic vessel with a water seal used for fermentation.
• Pölx (pölx) - literally "stomach," a sac usually made of hide or occasionally just a treated animal stomach–as the name implies–used for steaming or boiling food inside.

Ingredients

Meat and dairy

The Khots, being a reindeer herding culture, travel with considerably sized herds of this animal. As such, reindeer milk and dairy products based on it are a common, although seasonal delicacy, mostly relegated to the summer, while reindeer give birth to young and produce milk for some months. Reindeer meat is also a common year-long ingredient. Khot herds usually also include yak and goats, and dairy and meat from them is comparatively more common. Khots are also avid hunters, and common game includes venison, boar, elk, among other medium-to-large animals.

Vegetation

Although harvestable vegetables are exclusive to trade, as Khots do not have an agrarian culture, foraged vegetation such as certain types of nettle, various kinds of berries and fruits, wild onion, bistort, etc. are found in their cuisine.

Seafood

The Krasna Sea provides the Khots with a large assortment of fish such as büli (a small cod relative) and Krasnian salmon, shellfish like various kinds of sea snail and crabs, and (usually red) algae, which are commonly wrapped around meat and fish for a slight shift in flavour. Algae are also eaten on their own, usually dried or boiled.

Food preparation

Boiling is one of the main methods of preparation in Khot culture, usually done in a pölx for small items and a pölüd for larger meals. A common social gathering food is a large stew in which ingredients are continually added as the fire is kept hot for up to several hours. This stew usually includes such things as meat, seafood and cheeses. Dried meat is a common hunting snack, usually made of yak or boar, fried meat and vegetables such as wild onion are readily prepared in törped pans, and while usually thought of as a preservation method rather than proper preparation, smoking is still prolific in their cuisine. Spit-roasting is commonly practiced in larger muraar where whole animals are roasted over an open fire for the entire clan to eat. Grilling over bone grills is a common and quick preparation method suited for smaller meals.

Fermentation

Fermentation has been practiced by the Khots since its introduction by the western Hashans in antiquity. Their usual modus operandi regarding such a practice is to keep fermentation vessels at the various boundary stones for various muraar (clans) to take care of as a large community. Once the contents of these vessels are deemed ready enough by one muraar, they are extracted and stored for themselves, usually keeping some for the next muraar in the processional line. Therefore, fermentation vessels can be seen as a symbol of unity among the Khot population. These vessels were labeled with a clay seal inscribed with a symbol representing what was stored inside. Common fermented foods include fish, meat, as well as beverages such as cultured dairy, cheese and fruit alcohol.