The Perfect Landing Day Dinner
On the 27th of Sun's Dusk, every Forebear family who can trace their line back to that hallowed Warrior Wave in the days of old traditionally gathers to celebrate the bounty that we have been blessed with here in Hammerfell. Many excellent traditions take place, such as the reading of genealogies, special services at the Temples of Tava, and in some Forebear cities, even a reenactment of the first meeting between the Nedes and the Ra Gada who took this land for their own. But any good Redguard grandmother will tell you that the most important part is the feast.
There are numerous side-dishes one must remember, many of them in tribute to the tropical tubers that grow well on the coasts:
Boniato are a must. The white sweet potato has long been a staple of the Redguard diet, ever since the Ra Gada came ashore, so it is fitting that they should have a prominent place at your table. They can be prepared in many ways, but the most common (and arguably) most delicious manner is mashed and mixed with caramelized nuts.
The Malanga is a larger vegetable, yellow or rose-colored flesh that is incredibly crisp, slippery and juicy. It is usually sliced or mashed to be fried into wonderful chips or fritters.
Stuffing is a dish comprised of chunks of bread, seasoning, onion, and celery, and sometimes other ingredients to make things more interesting. It is cooked by preparing the vegetables first, then adding them to the bread and cooking them together. This is usually done in conjunction with the main dish, but that will be touched on later.
Corten Mont Bread is an everyday sight on the table of a Redguard household, but you won't want to be without it on Landing Day. It is a flat, wide bread that is commonly used to pick up other dishes and eat them by hand, or it is served with a variety of sauces for dipping. It's sure to go quickly with a feast like this, so be sure to bake plenty.
Those are just a few side dishes you'll want to be sure not to forget. There are many more to line your table, but now we must discuss the centerpiece of the feast: the Hammerfell cassowary.
As you probably know, the cassowary is a flightless bird common to Hammerfell (hence the name), which can often be seen running at full tilt through forests or across plains all over Hammerfell. It is not too common a main course today, as capturing one takes incredible skill, but it was one of the few foods available to those first conquerers of the land, and so we eat it once a year to celebrate their perseverance.
The process of preparation begins when the hunting party goes out. They take nets, as to ensure the quality of the bird, they cannot hunt it with a bow and arrow. The hunters stalk quietly through the forests, usually following a strategy in which they surround a roost and then provoke the birds to run straight into their nests. They must be extremely quiet, as if the cassowary has any chance at all to bolt, it will, and they can easily run right over the head of a waiting hunter. This is largely the same in the mountainous areas of the province, but in the savannah regions of Hammerfell, the hunt is more straightforward; hunting parties thunder out on horseback and snatch the fleeing birds up by the neck.
After the men return with their prey, the birds are decapitated and then plucked clean. The organs are removed, and while some like to make these a part of the dinner, most simply dispose of them. Stuffing is commonly stuffed inside of the cavity vacated by the removal of the organs, and this method of cooking adds flavor to the cassowary and stuffing alike. The bird is brined in saltwater, then put in an oven to roast for hours. When it comes out, hopefully golden brown on the outside and juicy on the inside, it is the marvelous centerpiece of the table.
These are the basics of a Landing Day feast, and by no means is this a restrictive list. The more, the merrier! Feel free to cook far more than this, and experiment with finding recipes that suit your own taste specifically. Through all of this, keep in mind those brave ancestors who left Yokuda to find a new home.