Az Emberek Cuisine

There is no place where the dynamics between Republican unity and cultural diversity play out more strongly than in the cuisine of Az Emberek. In addition to obvious regional differences due to traditional availability (the coastal Kerac eat more fish than the mountainous Vér, who use more meat than the Úrkút), there are significant cultural differences in the style of food preparation, use of spices and concepts as to what sorts of taste combinations are preferred. That said, there are some things which bind the disparate people together.

The first would be cheese – specifically túró. Whether made from the milk of goats, sheep, cows or even horses, this soft, fresh cheese is used in a blinding array of different methods. From fresh herbs or ground spices to the assiduous addition of flavoured alcohols and even fish paste, it is prepared in a myriad of methods and served in as many different ways. Túró is so ingrained into Republican life as to have outlanders believe it is another of their rituals to have it at every meal.

The other food would tokány. Strictly speaking, tokány is a stew made from boneless meat, ground red peppers and some vegetables in a broth. In reality, the exact definition of what is or is not ‘real’ tokány is about as cut and dried as what makes a good wine. Which variety of spices to use, the type and cut of meat, the selection of vegetables, the constituency of the broth and what sort of sides the tokány is served with are all topics of constant contention between peoples within the Republic.

As for drink, both beer and wine are common alcoholic drinks throughout the Republic, though there are regional tipples as well. For example, the Föld drink copious amounts of Kvass, made from fermented bread, and the Lovast ferment mare’s milk to make Kumis.