Lore:Dunmer Cuisine

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A selection of meals from the Telvanni Peninsula

The Dunmer have learned over the ages to live in harmony with the inhospitable landscape of Morrowind, which is largely unsuited to agriculture. The dark volcanic terrain makes farming and hunting difficult. They gather kwama eggs, cultivate crops of ash yams, and maintain herds of domesticated guar, from which they harvest meat and hides. A wide variety of drinks also feature in Dunmer cuisine, made from saltrice and native fruits.

Sundials fashioned from shalk resin are used to keep track of cooking times in more complicated Dunmer recipes.

Baked Goods

Name	Description	Image
Ancestor's Rest	Ancestor's Rest is a meal of wickwheat bread and berry paste that is known to put Dunmer to sleep with them awakening feeling refreshed, it is made using: Wickwheat flour, water Dough starter 2 handfuls fresh comberries 1 wedge of hypha facia 1 stalk marshmerrow 1 pinch ash salts 1 pinch grave dust 1 pinch bonemeal It is prepared by mixing wickwheat flour, with water being added until the dough is slightly sticky. The dough starter is then mixed in, and divided into four loaves which are baked. A berry paste is then prepared by the dicing, crushing and stirring of hypha facia, marshmerrow, comberries, ash salts, grave dust and bonemeal. The loaves are then cut lengthwise for the berry paste to be placed inside.
Bread	Bread in Morrowind is usually baked from saltrice flour. Ash yams and wickwheat can also be used to make bread. Wickwheat toast can be topped with scrib jelly for a delicious breakfast.
Cabbage Biscuits	A dish from Balmora, cabbage biscuits make use of scrib cabbage. Heavily textured, but lightly flavored, they are a great base for a variety of toppings or as an accompaniment to a hearty soup.
Frog Muffins	Muffins of Redoran origin that contain frog meat. The recipe calls for: 1 stone of ground frog meat A hand and a half of rice flour A cube of baker's yeast A pinch of pepper A sprig of thyme
Gorapple Muffins	Muffins made with gorapples.
The Hound and Rat	A meat pie of Redoran origin. The recipe calls for: 1 pie crust 1 pound of ground meat (mixed rat and hound) A hand and a half of cooked saltrice 1 handful of scuttle 1 small kwama egg A pinch of ash salts
Indoril Radish Tartlets	A pastry made from radishes with an origin in Great House Indoril.
Kwama Egg Quiche	Originally from Vvardenfell, this recipe traveled with Dunmer fleeing Morrowind after Red Mountain's eruption and has been well received throughout much of Tamriel, albeit with various regional tweaks to the ingredient list. The lightly seasoned filling and crisp crust can satisfy even the pickiest palate.
Marshmerrow Cake	Marshmerrow Cakes are sweet treats that can be dusted with powdered pearl and sugar.
Scones and Kwama Spread	Scones with kwama spread are known to be eaten alongside tea.
Spiced Root Cake	Trama root (and other root vegetables, such as mandrake and corkbulb) can be used to bake a spiced root cake.
Wickwheat Crackers	Known to be eaten in trios as a first course, as eaten by the clergy of the Temple Canton in Vivec City. Each cracker receives its own topping: a whipped guar-milk ganache for the Mother of Mercy, a spear of bittergrass for the Warrior-Poet, and a lard-like oil that symbolizes the machinery lubricant of the Father of Mysteries.

Drinks

Name	Description	Image
Alma's Bone-Mend Blend	A fragrant medicinal tea that blends Tum'ja pekoe, willow anther distillate, corkbulb, and bonemeal. It reduces the pain and duration of bone injuries.
Ancient Dagoth Brandy	Distilled by House Dagoth in the First Era. Upon the resurrection of the House by the forces of Dagoth Ur in the late Third Era, the few remaining samples of the brandy came to light. An ash vampire described the brew as a rare nectar beyond compare. It makes the imbiber feel stronger, but reduces their ability to think and move at a reasonable pace. Special snifters were specifically designed to serve Ancient Dagoth Brandy, which concentrated the bouquet and intensified the flavor.
Ash-Slake Ale	A tasty Dark Elf ale.
Emberbrand Wine	A powerful and highly addictive wine produced on Solstheim in the Fourth Era. Most men can barely finish one flask without falling asleep. Crushed jazbay is used in the brewing process.
Flin	An expensive and stimulating Cyrodilic whiskey popular in Morrowind, though imported. It has none of the unpleasant side effects experienced from imbibing other alcoholic beverages. Most people feel stronger and experience a boost in willpower after drinking flin. The flin trade is profitable and managed by the East Empire Company.
Flin Fizz	Made using: 2 parts flin 1 small kwama egg white 1 spoon marshmerrow liqueur 1 spoon lotus syrup 1 spoon bervez juice Combine ingredients in shaker with ice or chilling stones. Shake until frothy, then strain and discard ice/stones and continue shaking until liquid is mostly froth. Garnish with preserved comberry. For additional flair, serve in a glass rimmed with moon-sugar.
Gingergreen Chai	A Dunmer chai tea made from bittergreen and ginger.
Greef	A cheap comberry brandy native to Morrowind.
Kaveh	A coffee drink, the Dunmer flavor their version with comberry and lemon. It may be served in cornerclubs.
Marshwater	The water in Vvardenfell is often poor tasting, so some Dunmer prepare it as Marshwater as it makes the water taste sweet and pleasant. Marshwater is prepared by grinding two handfuls of dry saltrice which is put into a pot, with the pot being filled two-thirds of the way with water. It is then covered with a cloth, and let it set overnight. A handful of marshmerrow is added in the morning, and is covered again, and let to sit all morning. It is then drained through the cloth, with the leftover saltrice and merrow being thrown away.
Mazte	A cheap beer brewed from fermented saltrice that is native to Morrowind.
Mournhold Twister	A drink originating from Mournhold, it combines bittergreen and honey.
Muthsera's Remorse	Tea brewed with bittergreen and metheglin.
Shein	A cheap comberry wine native to Morrowind. Dunmer prefer it to be bitter and sour, and have a warm ruddy color. "Freckled Guar Shein" is a variety flavored with guarana seeds.
Spiced Skinpeel Simmer	Medicinal tea derived from Rolmu broken-black pekoe and steeped in a paste made from purified water, grated grahl skin, scrib jelly, and Daedra heart. Aids in relieving all manner of skin ailments.
Spiced Sujamma Posset	Made using: 2 parts guar milk 1 part water 1 medium kwama egg 6 parts sujamma 1 spoon Anise 3 spoons sliced ginger 1 spoon cardamom 1/2 spoon fennel seed 1 fire petal 1 pinch void salt Whisk together guar milk and kwama egg. Thin with water and heat until boiling. Reduce to simmer and add remaining ingredients. Steep until fragrant. Strain spices and serve steaming hot, or let cool and serve with a spoon.
Sujamma	A cheap, bitter liquor native to Morrowind. It is extremely potent, resulting in elevated spirits and increased strength and stamina, but reduced stamina regeneration and vastly reduced intelligence. A Dunmer named Geldis Sadri, who lived in Raven Rock in the Fourth Era, created his own, more potent sujamma formula which he claimed tasted better. Sujamma is occasionally mixed with scrib-jelly and served as shot.
Swamp Muck	Made using: 1 part guar milk 1 part greef 1 part lemon juice Mix greef and lemon juice together but keep separate from guar milk. Swamp Muck is consumed by taking a sip of guar milk, nearly filling the mouth but not being swallowed. The head is tilted back and greef is added with a lemon juice mixture until the mouth is full. The mouth is then closed and the head thrown back and forth until the mixture curdles and solidifies. If done right the sensation evokes trying to force a lumpy gob of muckspunge down.
Telvanni Tea	Tea is brewed from lotus flowers and acai berries before being sweetened with honey.
Trama Root Tea	The thick, bitter-tasting root of the trama shrub is used to brew a calming tea with modest magical properties.
Velothi Malbec	A dark red wine mingled with the flavors of mint and ginkgo.
Wickwheat Ale	Ale brewed using wickwheat.

Fruits and Vegetables

Name	Description	Image
Bittergreen	Safe and nourishing when boiled, though highly toxic if eaten raw. It is often used to make tea.
Ash Yam	The ash yam is a tough tuberous root vegetable with modest magical properties that thrives in the Ascadian Isles. It is one of the few vegetables that thrive in Morrowind's climate. They are commonly baked. Some of the Dunmer who fled Morrowind after Red Mountain's eruption packed ash yams for the journey and introduced them to Skyrim. Some Nords have taken a liking to the vegetable, adding their own distinct flavors to a common recipe for baked ash yams. Ash yams can be ground to make falafel.
Hackle-lo	A hardy, succulent and edible leafy green. A reliable year-round vegetable, it can be eaten cooked or raw. It is prized both for its taste and its roborative properties. Hackle-lo Salad is a dish that uses it as the primary ingredient alongside young willow leaves, scathecraw leaves, boiled wickwheat berries, slices of coprinus or russula, scuttle and shalk resin. To bring out the flavor of the hackle-lo, shein is sprinkled onto the salad.
Hypha Facia	A fungus collected from the tree trunks in Vvardenfell's Bitter Coast.
Luminous Russula	A squat, mottled-brown-and-green toadstool mushroom of the Bitter Coast region. If eaten raw, it will instantly refill one's lungs with air.
Marshmerrow	Marshmerrow's sweet pulp is a delectable foodstuff, and it has modest magical properties when eaten fresh or prepared. Marshmerrow is an important cash crop of the farms and plantations in the Ascadian Isles of Vvardenfell. Marshmerrow can be made into hluurn or echar.
Melon	Honeydew can be used in small, savory appetizers. Peppered melon is apparently popular with House Redoran.
Muck	A damp, fibrous slime from crushed muckspunge plants that grow in the West Gash and on Azura's Coast. Unless properly prepared in the native manner, it is mildly toxic.
Pickled Pumpkin	Pumpkin that has been preserved by pickling it in various seasonings.
Saltrice	Saltrice is a staple of Dunmer cuisine, and is one of the biggest export crops by Morrowind's farmers and plantation owners. It can be eaten as a cooked porridge mixed with scuttle. Most saltrice in the Empire comes from southeastern Morrowind, but there are also some prospering farms and plantations in the Ascadian Isles. Saltrice also grows wild in the Grazelands and on Azura's Coast in Vvardenfell. Saltrice can be made into risotto. One variation of saltrice risotto is made using four types of Balmoran mushrooms.
Scathecraw	Soft inner flesh of long, tough reddish grasses growing in the thermal ash regions of the Ashlands, Molag Amur, Red Mountain and on Solstheim.
Urgandil	A crop that can be made into a type of food called vverm.
Wickwheat	A wild Ashland grain that is often used as an ingredient in foods such as bread.
Yam Chips	This recipe calls for: Half a dozen yams Hound meat Hackle-lo One kwama egg Cooking pan or pot Kwama cuttle Dried and ground roobrush (optional) Bittergreen (optional) Scathecraw (optional) Preparation starts by thinly slicing half a dozen yams. The hound meat and hackle-lo are cut into strips. The kwama egg is scrambled and the yam slices and hackle-lo are added into the egg mixture. The yam slices are placed on pan and cooked until they stop sizzling and curl up. The hound meat and hackle-lo slices are then placed onto the pan, cooking until the meat is seared on the outside and the hackle-lo becomes soft and translucent. Once the meat and hackle-lo are done, the yam slices are returned to the pan and stired together. Finally, a few handfuls of kwama cuttle are added until it melts. For added flavor, some individuals prefer to season the chips with dried and ground roobrush, bittergreen, scathecraw, or a combination of all three.

Meat, Cheese, and Fish

Name	Description	Image
Ash Hopper	Ash Hopper meat is used for a variety of meals, such as dumplings served on scathecraw. Their legs are also eaten.	Ash Hopper Meat Ash Hopper Leg
Bantam Guar	Chicken-like reptiles that are raised for their meat and eggs. Bantam guar hash can be cooked with saltrice and beets.
Beetle-Cheese Poutine	A dish made with root vegetables as well as beetle flesh and cheese.
Blackened Snake Hearts	A dish made from snake heart. It was commonly served in the Ebonheart.
Crab Meat and Scuttle	A dish of Redoran origin. The recipe calls for: 2 handfuls of scuttle 4 pinches of wickwheat 1 large kwama egg The meat of one mudcrab (two portions) 1 handful of chopped bittergreen
Cliff Racer	Most Cliff racer meat is inedible or extremely tough but it can be stewed to make a ragout. Cliff racer tails are fatty and tolerable. Dunmer prepare them by boiling trama root for a whole day until the roots are soft, the tails are then added until browned. The roots are then placed onto a plate and the tails over the top of the roots. A little water is then added, finally bittergreen is sprinkled onto the dish and it is served.
Eels	Known to be filleted and set along with small basins of a caramel-colored brine that has been made from fermented marshmerrow. It is eaten by carefully dipping one's fingers into this brine and allowing drops to roll off one's hands, falling upon the flesh of the eels. This causes the eels to contort and move, during which the flesh of the eel becomes cured by the brine. This is done to honor the Clockwork God.
Graht-Planked Dreugh	This dish uses fresh dreugh meat cooked on planks of grahtwood. The dreugh for this meal has to be captured and stored live or put into stasis as they decay quickly if killed. Grahtwood planks are soaked in a barrel of water the night before preparation. On the day of cooking, kwama egg is first whisked onto the planks, the dreugh is then killed and long, thick slabs from the dreugh's legs and arms are sliced off and laid onto the planks. Kwama egg is then spread on top of the meat, and daedra hearts cut into tiny cubes are placed around the slabs of meat. These are then grilled, once finished, fire salts are sprinkled on top and it is served.
Guar	Meat from the domesticated guar is one of the most popular sources of protein in Morrowind. Roasted guar is served at Dark Elf festivels.
Horse	Horses are uncommon in Morrowind, as they do not adapt well to the terrain. However, the Dunmer find horse meat delicious. Jerked horse haunch is popular in Dunmeri households.
Hound Meat	Nix-hound flesh. The meat is sweet and tender, and has modest magical properties. The Ashlanders commonly use it to make chili.
Kagouti Steak	This meal can serve about 12 people, this recipe calls for the haunches but the rest of the legs and calves can do if a few more steaks are needed. These have the largest sections of meat and are tender in younger kagouti. Ash salts or void salts along with dried hypha facia are rubbed onto the slices of meat. The meat is then grilled over a low fire, with the outside being well browned, but the inside pink. Each steak is then wrapped in scathecraw and served.
Kwama Eggs	Kwama eggs are a staple for the Dunmer, and one of the most common sources of protein in Morrowind. Kwama eggs are popular throughout the Empire because they stay fresh for a long time. They are a rich, nutritious foodstuff with modest magical properties. They are eaten on their own like normal eggs and made into a variety of meals. They can be made into omelettes or cooked into a quiche, among other culinary uses. Eaten boiled, roasted, or raw, kwama eggs remain fresh for weeks.
Mudcrab	Vvardenfell's mudcrabs are prized for their sweet crab meat. The flesh of the mudcrab is tasty and possesses modest magical properties.
Oxen Meatballs	Meat of Oxen which is mixed with saltrice to form a meatball.
Rat Meat	Meat from the giant cave rats found on Vvardenfell. Tough, greasy meat with an unpleasant odor. It is cheap, abundant, and nutritious, and palatable when cooked in a stew and masked by strong spices. Rat meat has moderate alchemical properties.
Scrib	Scribs are a larval form of the kwama. They are traditionally impaled to wooden plates by culinary spikes and eaten alive, but pupal scribs are sometimes roasted over an open fire. Crushed scribs produce a nutritious but sour-tasting gelatin with modest magical properties that is resoundingly popular among the Dunmer. Scrib jerky is made by cutting scribs cut into strips and drying them in the sun. Scrib jerky has modest magical properties, and tastes scarcely worse when spoiled than when fresh. It is a practical foodstuff for the hardy native traveler. Scrib can be curried and cooked into risotto. Steamed Kwama Scrib preparation involves blanching the creatures in solutions derived from the eluvium of Red Mountain. The procedure makes for an excruciating ordeal for the scribs but this makes the meat much sweeter.	Scrib Scrib Jelly Scrib Jerky
Scurryscales	This dish is prepared by the skinning of five large, fresh slaughterfish, with the large sheets of scales being kept and the rest of the fish discarded. The scales are then laid out to dry. Once fully dry, the scales are placed on a hot pan or rock until they are slightly brown and crispy. They are then placed into a pot, with one scoop of scathecraw pulp, one scoop saltwater, and one scoop scrib jelly being added to the mix. The crispy scales are usually served alongside a scathecraw and jelly mixture, with the scales being dipped into the mix.
Scuttle	A cheese-like, greasy substance made from the flesh of local beetles that is remarkably tasty, and has modest magical properties. It can be cooked into soup.
Shalk	Shalk is sometimes cooked by slow-roasting.
Slaughterfish Steak	Slaughterfish Steak is prepared by gutting the slaughterfish and then cutting the meat into strips. Scamp skin is then suspended over a cooking fire, with a little water and shein being added onto the skin. When it starts simmering, a couple pinches of chokeweed and green lichen are added. The slaughterfish strips are then laid directly on the skin. When they turn white on the bottom, they are flipped over and heather flowers are sprinkled on top. When the fish is white all the way through they are pulled off, and rinsed in shein. They will be a little bit slimy, but very salty and no longer poisonous. One can wash the scamp skin off and re-use it about a dozen times before it loses effectiveness.

Soups and Stews

Name	Description	Image
Cabbage Soup	Soup made from scrib cabbage and saltrice.
Crab Meat Stew	A dish of Redoran origin. The recipe calls for: 2 handfuls of crab meat 1 mug of stock 3 pinches of garlic 1 large onion 1 handful of ground oats
Horker and Ash Yam Stew	A stew eaten by Dunmer on Solstheim. As the name suggests it uses horker meat, ash yams and garlic.
Kwama Egg Stew	A type of stew that uses kwama eggs and vegetables.
Lava Foot Soup-And-Saltrice	A seasonal meal enjoyed during the New Life Festival. The recipe calls for saltrice, root vegetables, scrib jelly, and flour. A good serving of this soup keeps the scrib on the surface of the broth.
Mushroom Cassoulet	A slow-cooked mushroom stew.
Ochre Mash	A seasoned ochre colored mash made from pumpkins and carrots.
Porridge	Porridge is a meal common among the Dunmer of the House Redoran.

Spices

Some Dunmer have ALMSIVI spice shakers, Almalexia contains a sweetener, Vivec a spicy pepper, and Sotha Sil the salt.

Name	Description	Image
Seafood Allspice	A type of seafood seasoning.
Fungus Shavings	Edible fungus is sometimes grated down into shavings.

Gallery

Food and Drinks

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  Ash yam farm

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  Saltrice

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  A cup of mazte

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  A cup of mazte

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  A cup of sujamma

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  A ceramic Ashlander platter with bread and cheese

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  A Dres bowl with saltrice mash

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  A Redoran bowl with saltrice mash

Dishes and Cookware

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  A Dark Elven kettle cooker

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  A cauldron

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  A cauldron with handles

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  A cooking pot

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  A green glass decanter

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  An Indoril platter with a floral motif

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  A Redoran plate with a floral motif

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  A Dres teapot

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  A Dres cannister for transporting liquid food and drinks

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  A Dres sauce pot

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  A House Dres-style wooden serving bowl

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  A House Dres cauldron

References

Note: The following references are considered to be unofficial sources. They are included to round off this article and may not be authoritative or conclusive.