Herbs and Spices
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Charali
Arrowroot
A flavorless powder similar to cornstarch in consistency, it is used to draw poison from wounds; especially poisoned arrowheads, from whence its name is derived.
Caraway
One of the oldest spices known to the Five Duchies, Caraway is rumored to originate in Vavard by scholars, though it is typically considered a Charali spice.
The flavor is tangy, and the smell pungent, and it is often found in rye bread.
Oregano
Very similar to Vavardi Majoram, Charali oregano possesses a strongly aromatic, amphoraceous odor and has a pungent flavor. More bitter than Vavardi majoram, the difference is believed to be due to the harder climate and soil content. The Charali use oregano to flavor everything from meat to kymyza (their fermented mare's milk), but assign it no ritual importance.
Daravi
Cinnamon
Often found in baked goods and confections, its nature as a Daravi import make it worth its weight in gold as well as highly questionable to own. Indeed, as a medicine, it is ground and sprinkled into cuts to prevent infection, and is believed to calm a woman's belly during her moon cycle. The Daravi consider it sacred and burn it at funerals.
Paprika
A fragrant and colorful (bright red) spice, it ranges in flavor from mildly sweet to simply hot. In Daravi, it is used to fight cold and flu effects.
Temijul
Used solely by priests in religious practice, the temijul seed is very expensive despite its abundant growth. By Daravi law, no one may pick, sell, or distill it, even though the brilliant red and black flower commonly enough grows in peasant yards. The effects of ingesting temijul seeds are a deep sleep, pain relief, hallucinations, and in enough quantity, death.
When the peoples of the Five Duchies have access to Temijul, they tend to use the seeds in baking goods or condiments if not simply as bliss-inducing drugs. They eschew the Daravi name for the spice they know as 'Poppy'.
Farin
Bay Laurel
A pungent, bitter herb, Bay Laurel leaves are believed to ward off plague and storms. Thus superstitious farmers are known to hang bay leaf wreaths on their door in the Spring and to wear necklaces of bay laurel in summer.
Cumin
Known for its strong, musty earth flavor, Cumin is a Farin herb believed to keep lovers (and chickens) from straying. Thus it is fed a common ingredient in both human foods and livestock offal, and in rural areas brides and grooms often carry a cumin seed in their pockets throughout their wedding ceremony.
Myrrh
A dangerous herb, large amounts of myrrh may have a violent laxative action. Its nature causes it to be traded mostly for cosmetic purposes in perfumes and burned at funerals.
Saffron
This spice is used mostly as a cheerful yellow dye. The sheer volume necessary to distill to make enough spice to flavor a dish makes saffron the most expensive spice, except for possibly cinnamon, in all of the Five Duchies. Its is commonly given in small amounts to guests to represent hospitality and most frequently used in perfumes.
Tumeric
A mildly aromatic spice, it is the base of curry powder. Considered 'common', everyone enjoys turmeric in their meals, from peasant to duke. It, like saffron, is also used to produce a brilliant yellow dye, though of a different shade. Some Farin peasants use it to dye their hair and bodies for wedding ceremonies, but such practice has been largely suppressed by the Holy Order. Turmeric also has strong preservative qualities, and is often added to foods that the Farin wish to keep over time.
Hillfolk
Floleaf
A distinctly Hillfolk herb, this remedy replaces tabac in the hearts of the hills. It releases a distinctly pleasant scent very different from the alternative, tabac, and is proscribed by many a herbalist for practically any illness known to man. Unfortunately, it is also quite addictive as the feeling of euphoria achieved with the herb is powerful and lasts for a few hours without greatly imparing the judgment.
Parsley
Known to be a strong breath freshener, Hill Folk chew parsley to freshen their breath as well as to hang in their home to absorb mal odors. It is common for Hill Folk to hex those their enemies by repeating the person's name while plucking a sprig.
Rosemary
Believed to be a memory aid, the Hill Folk often use this in lamb dishes. Skalds tie dried sprigs into their hair before performing tasks that require memorization or recitation, common folk use it in their hair soaps, and it is always present for memorable occasions such as weddings. Outside of the Hills, rosemary is a symbol of fidelity and a sprig given to husbands and wives on birthdays, and folk weddings often burn it during the ceremony.
Lithmorran
Anise
Used as an aid to digestion, it's also common in foods. Anise has a strong licorice odor and flavor. Lithmorrans and Vandagans use Anise in cakes, cookies and sweet breads, but Daravi and Farin use it in soups and stews. It is also a popular in liqueur.
Basil
Used frequently in cooking, it has a sweet, aromatic flavor. It is often a compliment to meat, cheese, vegetable and egg dishes. Some people grow Basil in their home to invite happiness, but this tradition is often scoffed as superstition.
Henbane
A poisonous plant, this Lithmorran herb takes its name from the accidental murder of farmer's hens. It is known for its hallucinogenic properties and rumors suggest that witches and women use it commonly to rid themselves of enemies.
Mugwort
Witches are said to use mugwort to induce lucid dreaming and aid in astral travel, and it is a powerful abortive proscribed by herbalists. Travelers, however, believe it to protect them against evil spirits found at crossroads and wild animals.
Peppermint
Used by herbalists to ease chest pains and digestion, this mainly Lithmorran plant also grows in the southern reaches of Vandago. It is most popular in tea and perfumes, but some herbalists recommend sniffing satchels of it to relieve various other illnesses.
Pepper
Used by herbalists to ease chest pains and digestion, this mainly Lithmorran plant also grows in the southern reaches of Vandago. It is most popular in tea and perfumes, but some herbalists recommend sniffing satchels of it to relieve various other illnesses.
Thyme
Representing courage and valor, this herb is sewn into the favors granted to knights at tourney or going into battle. The subtle flavor has a slight tint of mint, making it popular with various meat dishes and stews. Sometimes herbalists have been known to suggest it for hangovers.
Tubori
Coamjar
This Tubori form of sugarcane has been the economic backbone of the Tubori economy for almost eighty years. Slaves imported from Farin often make up a large part of the workforce and plantation owners make up the aristocracy of its nobility. Coamjar is believed to improve alertness, but can be used to make certain forms of alcohol as well as the beloved sugar prized all over the realm for its role as a sweetener.
Ginger
A cure-all mixed into beer with a hot poker, this Tubori herb has a warm citrus-like flavor. It is known as a strong aid against nausea and is also believed able to rid a woman of an unwanted child in sufficient quantities. The Tubori use it to battle colds and flu as well as to ease the heart and just about any other illness that could possibly plague a man.
Hemproot
Considered a medicinal plant, hemproot has addictive qualities, but is known for its ability to lift the spirits and treat stress and nausea. The ropes that the Tubori use at sea are often woven of hemproot, soaked in various herbs to increase its tensile strength while simultaneously poisoning it to prevent sailors from ingesting it during their leisure hours.
Tabac
The single most commonly used 'leisure' herb in Lithmore, tabac is imported from Tubor. Smoked with a pipe, there are some people who prefer to chew it, given that it often offends the noses of the ladies. Almost no women openly take part in the use of tabac, and a heavy tariff on the herb ensures that it remains in the hands of the wealthy - unfortunately making it a status symbol, just barely affordable to the peasantry and very common amongst wealthy gentlemen.
Vanilla
A perfumed, woody aroma, vanilla is much beloved of the nobility as both an additive to deserts as well as perfumes and uguents. Typically, vanilla is steeped for six months in alcohol due to the expensive nature of purchasing the actual beans, and transported in liquid form for processing or use in other regions of the Five Duchies.
Vandagan
Anise
Used as an aid to digestion, it's also common in foods. Anise has a strong licorice odor and flavor. Lithmorrans and Vandagans use Anise in cakes, cookies and sweet breads, but Daravi and Farin use it in soups and stews. It is also a popular in liqueur.
Mustard
All three types of mustard plant are known to grow exclusively in Vandago, and they are not typically used as food. Instead, they are used in a home as a deterrent to seed-eating rodents and birds. Still, as an acquired taste, some mustard seeds are crushed, the husks separated from the resulting powder, and then mixed with grape juice or beer to create a paste. It is much more popular in Vavard than its native home or the neighboring duchy of Lithmore.
It is considered daring to eat mustard as the spice has nebulous magical connotations related to the fact that, after being mixed with a liquid (such as water), mustard powder will heat up on its own before cooling down. For this reason, only licensed alchemists and herbalists are permitted to sell mustard seed.
Peppermint
Used by herbalists to ease chest pains and digestion, this mainly Lithmorran plant also grows in the southern reaches of Vandago. It is most popular in tea and perfumes, but some herbalists recommend sniffing satchels of it to relieve various other illnesses.
Pepper
Used by herbalists to ease chest pains and digestion, this mainly Lithmorran plant also grows in the southern reaches of Vandago. It is most popular in tea and perfumes, but some herbalists recommend sniffing satchels of it to relieve various other illnesses.
Vavardi
Fennel
Believed to restore eyesight, fennel substitutes for anise in many Vavardi dishes and appears in practically all of their fish dishes (of which there are many). For its sweet aroma and powerful freshening affect (not to mention its general affordability), many Vavardi chew fennel seeds after a meal to freshen their breath.
Marjoram
Vavardi churches plant this herb in cemeteries (though never on a grave) in hopes that it will then, of its own accord, spread to other graves and declare the deceased as having risen to the Lord of the Springs. Unfortunately, this practice has risen to deliberate planting of marjoram atop the graves of loved ones, so it no longer carries the same meanings as previously, but the herb makes a great flavor addition to almost any meat dish found in Vavard.
Nutmeg
Herbalists recommend nutmeg against fevers and headaches, and this Vavardi spice is typically used in baked goods and mulled wines. However, while superstitious folklore claims that nutmeg wards off the plague, its true value is the common belief that nutmeg is a powerful aphrodisiac. For this reason, as well as the hallucinogenic effects of ingesting a large quantity of the spice, nutmeg is a favorite of the Cult of Ecstasy.
Undefined/Various
Koreroot
The koreroot is used by herbalists in many instances. It is generally thick, but bends easily, and is difficult to break. It appears off-white in color. The uses of koreroot are unknown, although it was once highly sought after, before the Consolidation.
Mandrake
An herb beloved by witches, it is primarily known for its place in magical rituals, but the reputation is somewhat erroneous. Herbalists know it as a plant of strong anaesthesia qualities, enabling physicians to perform daring operations to save the lives of their wards. Common folk believe the plant will ensure a woman's conception, and so it is often taken by women wishing to bear children, though witches are believed to use it in love philtres. Due to its use in both healing and its poisonous properties, mandrake must be handled with care - and this has wrought legends of the shriek of a mandrake, if improperly harvested from the earth, will cause death in its victim.
Mehylen
Mehylen, also called threegreen due to the triple-green colors of its stalk, is rare to find. Its uses are unknown.
Oleander
Oleander is commonly known to be mildly poisonous.
Willowbark
This common plant is used to relieve the symptoms of pain and fever. Though bitter and distasteful, the remedy works so well that people all across the Five Duchies, and even into Charali and the Hills frequently consume this as their first remedy for these symptoms. Herbalists proscribe it as often as physicians do bleedings for many of the same illnesses.
