Lore:Khajiit Cuisine

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Known for their love of sweets, the Khajiit enjoy a wide array of specialty dishes and desserts. Many of the meals eaten by nomadic clans are cooked over a campfire.^[1]^:11 They use moon sugar, a sweet, white powdery substance,^[2] as a spice in many of their meals.^[3] As a result, much of their cuisine is very sweet.^[4] They consume moon-sugar in one form or another every day.^[5]^:178 They use so much moon sugar in their cooking that they've developed a tolerance to amounts that would prove fatal to other races.^[1]^:11 Many people from other cultures can't stomach the sweetness,^[6] and some Khajiiti fare is dangerous for outsiders to consume.^[5]^:178

The Khajiiti love for moon-sugar runs deeper than just cuisine - aside from its use as a seasoning and magical ingredient in alchemy, it is also used in certain religious ceremonies honoring the gods. The Khajiit believe the substance to be "crystallized moonlight", caught in the water of the Topal Sea and infused with the sugarcane by the power of the tides. By consuming moon-sugar, the Khajiit believe they are imbibing small portions of their gods' eternal souls, and that the visions seen afterwards are sent to them by the Twin Moons to be divined by priests.^[7]^[8]

Some nomadic clans partake in a ritual before eating with guests. The first meal is cake, which is round in shape, and laid down on a cloth at each participants' spot. The server sets each individual place at the dining area with a platter of cakes, a stack of cloths, and a pitcher of golden liquid. They set down a cloth, put a cake on the cloth, sprinkle the cake with moon-sugar, then let exactly four drops of liquid drip onto the dusted cake. This is repeated exactly for each participant. Then, everybody introduces themselves.^[5]^:177 When the last person's name is given, the Khajiit first lick their cakes, then eat them. Non-Khajiit can simply touch the cake to their mouth without eating it, as these cakes contain moon-sugar. Touching the cake to one's mouth satisfies the spirit of the ceremony.^[5]^:178 Those who eat cake with a Khajiiti clan are considered friends for the time being. They may offer strangers protection the day the cake is eaten, but the next time they meet, they have no obligation to be friendly.^[5]^:180

The Baandari use specific tools to bast their meats repeatedly in moon-sugar syrup.^[9] Moon-sugar spoons are very large, as the Khajiit believe it is best partaken in generous portions.^[10]

Traditions of the Akaviri settlers influenced the cuisine of Anequina.^[11]

Baked Goods[edit]

Name	Description	Image
Banana Bread	Bread made from bananas.^[12]
Beef Pasty	A hand pie filled with beef and other ingredients cooked in pastry. In Riverhold the locals use a filling consisting of beef, tomato, and radish.^[13]
Meat Pie	A succulent, sweet meat pie. Likened to cake by a visiting Nord envoy to Elsweyr during the Alliance War.^[4]
Fish Cakes	Small cakes made with fish that pair well with Topal Bay seasoning.^[14]
Fried Sweetcake	Sweetcake that has been fried in a skillet.^[15]
Raisin Cookies	Flour cookies baked with raisins.^[16]
Sugar Claws	A moon sugar heavy pastry enjoyed during the New Life Festival. It is made with flour, honey, and corn.^[17]

Desserts[edit]

Name	Description	Image
Pudding	Often spiced with moon-sugar.^[18]
Honey Pudding	This pudding was introduced to Skyrim at some point, where it evolved to rescind the use of moon-sugar. In Elsweyr, the Khajiit have no such restrictions on spice.^[1]^:143
Moon Candy	A delectable sweet made from moon-sugar.^[18]
Sweet Gnocchi	A flour and potato dumpling sweetened with grapes.^[19]
Sweet Roll	The Khajiit use moon-sugar to make icing for their sweet rolls.^[18]

Fruit and Vegetable Dishes[edit]

Name	Description	Image
Banana Pilaf	A rice dish that incorporates bananas.^[20]
Bananas in Moon-Sugar Syrup	Bananas served in a sweet moon sugar syrup.^[21]
Carrots in Moonsugar Glaze	Often found cooking over the fires of Khajiit traders in their camps.^[1]^:43
Corn Fritters	Fried snacks of corn coated in flour batter. In Elsweyr, grapes are also used in the recipe.^[22]
Garlic Apple Jelly	A sweet and savory jelly made from garlic and apples.^[23]
Millet-Carrot Couscous	Steamed millet with carrots.^[24]
Spanakopita	A savory pie filled with spinach and cheese. The Khajiit sometimes add apples to the recipe.^[25]
Root Vegetables	Khajiiti dish common in the province of Elsweyr.^[26]	Root Vegetables
Hearty Noodles	Khajiiti dish common in the province of Elsweyr.^[27]	Hearty Noodles
Rice	Khajiiti dish common in the province of Elsweyr.^[28] In Pellitine, rice is sometimes cooked together with tomato.^[29]	Rice

Meat and Animal Products[edit]

Name	Description	Image
Banana-Bunny Hash	Hash made from bananas and the meat of rabbits.^[30]
Candied Mammoth Tail	Candied mammoth tail is known to be served swimming in sparkle-syrup, an alcoholic drink.^[31]
Corned Beef	Beef that has been cured with salt. In Corinthe, bananas and corn are used in the process.^[32]
Curried Fish and Rice	Fish and rice curry is often served in Senchal.^[33]
Elsweyr Fondue	Fondue (melted cheese) produced by the Khajiit. This is one of their more savory recipes, but some Khajiit prefer to include moon-sugar.^[1]^:117	Elsweyr Fondue
Lizard	The Khajiit eat crunchy little nuggets made from lizard innards by the handful. Available in some Anequine taverns.^[4] Lizards can also be cooked into stew.^[34]
Sweet-Glazed Fish Bits	Bits of fish tossed with moon-sugar and stir-fried to a crispy crunch. Makes a nice afternoon snack.^[4]
Sweet-Stuffed Duck	Duck filled with a sweet stuffing of bananas and cheese.^[35]
Sugared Cuttlefish	Sugared Cuttlefish is a Khajiit dish that was banned from being served during Serpent's Glory festivities under the Article 4, Addendum 1 of the Treaty of Khenarthi's Roost.^[36]
Whole Roasted Chicken	Khajiiti dish common in the province of Elsweyr.^[37]	Whole Roasted Chicken
Roasted Chicken Pieces	Khajiiti dish common in the province of Elsweyr.^[38]	Roasted Chicken Pieces
Roast Kagouti	Roasted Kagouti. In Corinthe it is served with apples and millet.^[39]

Soups and Stews[edit]

Name	Description	Image
Baandari Mutton Stew	Made from mutton, onion, stock, tomatoes, and potatoes.^[40]
Honey and Date Stew	Stew made with honey and dates. It is usually not made with moon-sugar, and is thus safe for consumption by non-Khajiit.^[5]^:178
Honeyfly Bisque	A bisque that is known to be poured over honeycombs.^[31]
Sweet Stew	Khajiiti dish common in the province of Elsweyr.^[41]	Sweet Stew

Drinks[edit]

Name	Description	Image
Agony Pale Ale	A light barley ale brewed with lotus flowers and yerba mate.^[42]
Anequina Stout	A barley stout beer brewed with bittergreen and lemon flavoring.^[43]
Cane Mead	Khajiiti alcoholic beverage common in the province of Elsweyr.^[44]	Cane Mead
Comberry Cordial	A beverage made with comberries and clarified with isinglass before drinking.^[45]
Dancer Tonic	A tonic made from jasmine and yerba mate that is clarified with isinglass. It is popular in Senchal^[46]
Dark Moons Spiced Whiskey	A distilled alcoholic beverage that burns on the way down. Unlike most Khajiiti fare, spiced whiskey is not sweet.^[4]
Fermented Syrup	These syrups are sometimes served in dram glasses.^[47]
Honey Rum	Yeast brewed rum sweetened with honey.^[48]
Khenarthi's Wings Chai	A Khajiiti Chai tea made from jasmine leaves that is often sweetened with honey.^[49]
Mint Tea	Khajjit often sweeten simple mint tea with honey to satisfy their sweet tooth.^[50]
Moon-Sugar Rum	An alcoholic beverage made from moon-sugar.^[34]
Sour Bock	A strong sour wheat beer brewed with lemon.^[51]
Sparkle-Syrup	An alcoholic drink known to be served in jugs and used for cooking.^[52]
Spiced Warm Milk	Milk warmed over a fire with spices and moon-sugar. Generally consumed right before bed.^[1]^:177
Sweetened Condensed Milk	This beverage is served as an after dinner refreshment.^[53]
Timestorm	Named after a historical event of dubious truth, the Timestorm claims to wipe the memory of any who drink it. The more a person consumes, the more time is lost, or so it is claimed. The recipe originated in Elsweyr during the reign of Mane Jinninji-ri. Surviving descriptions reveal the flavor was as smooth as well-groomed fur that then blasts the moisture from your mouth like the desert sands. Recipe: Ginseng, three shavings Muddled Dragon's tongue, whole Brandy, two jiggers Stewed cactus nettles, one handful^[54]