Cuisine of the Nibenay: The North-South Divide

It would be a mistake to assume that Nibense cuisine is homogenous across the board, from the foothills of the Valus mountains, to the squeaking sands of the Topal bay, and deep within the wilderness of Blackwood. In reality, the cuisine of the Nibenay is divided into two opposing camps: north and south, roughly divided at the Panther River; the north being typically more “standard” Nibenese cuisine that most are familiar with taking influence from all around the Empire, and the south taking influence from Khajitti, Argonian, and Bosmeri cuisines. In many ways, contemporary Nibenese cuisine resembles little to the dishes consumed by the earliest of inhabitants of the region, given the Empire’s influence and cultural exchange, and is more a microcosm of the melting pot the Empire truly is.

NORTHERN NIBENESE CUISINE

Northern Nibenese cuisine is further divided into two styles: Valley and Highland. Valley Nibenese cuisine places a heavy emphasis on seafood such as scallops, prawns, clams, sea cucumbers, and squid, but vegetables and other meats such as beef and pork are common, as well. Anyone regardless of race raised north of the Panther River has grown up eating fish on a regular basis. It’s believed that the Northern Nibenese diet, high in seafood and low in red meat, is perhaps one of the healthiest only second to that of the Gold Coast. It is here where instant noodles were invented by Jor Huxtin Minor, a Colovian transplant, in the year 4E 120, and in turn the famous instant noodle brand ‘Teapot’ was born. Staple dishes include Instant Noodles (more often than not simply instant noodles served with minced meat, soy sauce, vegetables, and a fried egg), Crispy River Fish (river fish fried with ginger, garlic, green onion, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, star anise, and chili pepper served whole), and Steamed Pork Buns (Wheat buns with pork steamed inside bamboo steamers).

Highland Nibenese, given its location, focuses less on seafood, and instead prefers the use of pork, beef, chicken, and other land animals, what seafood there is usually dried and salted. Mountain Nibenese cuisine is far spicier than Valley Nibenese which focuses more on flavourful spice, with a characteristically “numbing” spice, and liberal amounts of chili peppers, garlic, and shallots. Common dishes in Highland Nibenese cuisine include Pockmarked Tofu (tofu set in a spicy chili and bean-based sauce with minced meat, wood ear fungus, water chestnuts, and onions), Hawker Noodles (wheat noodles in spicy sauce with mustard stems, chili oil, minced pork, and green onion), and Peppercorn Chicken (deep-fried, breaded chicken served on top of sticky rice with various sliced chilies).

In older days, the differences between the two styles were much more defined, but today with improved transportation and cultural exchange, the lines have become increasingly blurred. Both styles share an affinity for noodles and rice.

Northern Nibenese cuisine also takes influence from other parts of the Empire; for example, Bretic garlic and shallots are widely cultivated in the region, and southern Dunmeri and Hlaalu influence has produced saltrice noodles with a translucent, purple appearance and seed-tart pastries commonly eaten for breakfast. A common sight in most Nibenese towns (and other towns throughout Cyrodiil) is take-out restaurants specializing in Hlaalu-Nibenese fusion cuisine.

SOUTHERN NIBENESE CUISINE

Southern Nibenese is divided into two sub-styles as well: Trans-Niben and Blackwood. Despite subtle differences, both more or less share a varying Beast and Bosmeri influence. The cuisine of the Trans-Niben for certain takes much influence from the Khajiit and Bosmer, given the region’s neighboring to Elsweyr and the overwhelming amount of meat consumed. Beef is the most common meat, but seafood is usually popular with Khajiit and other races besides observant Bosmer. Vegetables are also indeed an option. Given the cuisine’s roots among Khajiit and the Green Pact Bosmer, utensils originally weren’t utilized, and table manners often took a back seat to nourishment, especially among Senche and Alfiq Khajiit. With Imperial influence, however, utensils are now a welcome addition on tables in the Trans-Niben, provided the diners have opposable thumbs.

The cuisine of Blackwood, found in the isolated southeastern portion of the Nibenay mostly populated by native Argonians, is sometimes derogatorily referred to as “lizard food”, given the common consumption of organisms such as frogs and fried insects. With the influx of non-Argonian settlers, however, the region has gone through a transition from a hunter-gatherer society to an agrarian one, much to the protest of some traditionalist Argonians, but the change has been mostly accepted by the younger generation. The introduction of cattle to the region and the cultivation of rice has brought considerably more diversity to the region’s cuisine, but the staples remain, if albeit in lesser amounts. A staple dish consumed by native Argonians and settlers alike is Jungle Curry, a highly spicy and watery curry made with beef, kaffir lime, lemongrass, peppercorn and garlic which takes influence from settlers arriving from the Sentinelese Illiac. Another common dish eaten along the coast of the Topal Bay is Blackwood Crab, a dish of flash-boiled crab served with the full shell, chilies, garlic, and other spices.