Cuisine of Varland

The Cuisine of Varland is the traditional food of the people of the Kingdom of Varland. These foods are typically reflective of both the kingdom's environment, most notably its long winters, and of Varland's important trading partners, as the Skanori have historically been open to importing the foods of other kingdoms.

Features
Due to Vildskanor's climate, the features of Varlandic Cuisine typically consist of large amounts of dairy, meats, fruits, flatbreads, poultry and seafoods. Of these, Varland's breads likely have the most variance, while many of the meats and fruits are served as soups. Additionally, Varland has a long tradition of pastry creation, many of which use sugar.

Finally, due to the long winters endured by the Skanori, Varlandic cuisine also includes large amounts of preservatives, such as salting, smoking and pickling.

Meats and Seafood
In the Kingdom of Varland, the eating of meat is notably far more common among the lower classes than in many of the Eastern Kingdoms such as Stormwind or old Lordaeron. This variation is, like many others, due to the long winters that commonly grip Vildskanor, which has resulted in salted or otherwise preserved meats becoming a major staple food during the winter months. Despite this, meat consumption is still restricted by social and economical class, with beef constricted to the upper classes, while pork, sheep and goat are most common among the middle and lower classes.

In the case of seafood, the most common fish dishes are cod, herring and salmon, all fished from the waters of the Frozen and Wild Seas. Additionally, lobsters, shrimps and crabs are commonly fished from the waters of the Belts, while seal, walrus and whale are taken from the continent's outlying islands by whaling expeditions.

Fruits and Vegetables
Due to the cold climate of Vildskanor, there is a limited time for fruits and vegetables to be grown, which has resulted in a more limited range of hardy plants that can be grown. Thus, the most common fruits in Varland's cuisine are the stone fruits such as peaches and plums, though small, wild apples are also commonly found in rural diets.

Meanwhile, the primary vegetables of the Kingdom's cuisine are those that can live throughout the winter, these include the Varlandic turnip (also known in the Eastern Kingdoms as the Var), onions, carrots and, due to Arathorian influence, the potato.

Nuts and Berries
Though not a primary food, both wild nuts and berries can commonly be found as a part of Varland's traditional diets. These include hazelnuts, walnuts and peanuts, in the case of the former; and strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and lingonberries, in the case of the later.

Grains
Similar to meats, the consumption of grains by Varlanders is mostly restricted by social and economic class. Wheat is mostly restricted to the upper classes, while the middle and lower classes make do with barley or, more commonly, rye. The later is notable for the many uses it has, such as for flour, soups and whiskies.

Dairy and Poultry
As noted, the lack of staple crops in Vildskanor has resulted in many other food types moving in to fill the void left behind, with dairy products being no exception. Much of Varland's dairy is produced by the Varlandic Fjäll breed of cattle, though there is a market for goat and moose milk as well. Additionally, this large amount of dairy has resulted in a thriving cheese maker's industry, resulting in Varland becoming know among many food connoisseurs of the Eastern Kingdoms.

Meanwhile, poultry products also play a major part in Varlandic cuisine. As with most other foods, duck and chicken meat is commonly potted or otherwise preserved, while the eggs are usually pickled.

Sweets and Spices
Formerly almost unknown to the Skanori, trade with Stormwind and Kul Tiras has seen many sweets and spices such as sugar, nutmeg, cloves, peppers and ginger. A notable spice to be native to Vildskanor is mustard, which has been common in Varlandic dishes since before the Arathorian Empire.

Additionally, honey has provided the most common form of sweetener before the introduction of sugar and continues to do so among the lower classes.

Preservatives
As mentioned, the climate of Vildskanor has resulted in food preservatives becoming a major part of the Skanoric diet. In Varland, the most common preservative is salt, either taken from the sea or mined. This is used to brine cheeses or salt meats and seafood, along with being used to make pickled eggs. Meanwhile, the next most common form of preserving food is smoking, with pickling close behind.

Following the Skanoric Industrial Revolution, other forms of preservative have become common, such as canned or tinned foods.