Elven Reindeer Stew: Peurapata

Background: The Elves are an ancient people, native to the far north of Efenland they have migrated south into central Efenland over the centuries. The Elven language or Keeli has numerous dialects with the purest dialects remaining in the far north whereas the southern Elves have adopted many Teutonian, Dwarven, and Norðurlander loan words. The Northern Elves primarily refer to themselves as the Väki whereas the Southern Elves refer to themselves as the Álfar. The Álfar were driven out of central Efenland by the Teutonian Empire during the Glorious War leading to a great exodus of Elves from Efenland to the far north. The Álfar refugees have adopted the Väki tradition of raising reindeer. What is presented here is a traditional Peurapata or Reindeer Stew, a signature dish of Väki Elven cuisine. The Álfar refer to this dish as Hreindýrigrýta in their dialect. 

A herd of Väki Peura/Reindeer

Ingredients:

    • 500 Grams of Reindeer Meat

    • 1 Liter of Water

    • 1 Onion 

    • 4 Medium Juuri 

    • 30 Grams of Reindeer Fat 

    • 100 Grams of Mushrooms

    • 10 Dried Puola Berries

    • 100 Milliliters of Reindeer Milk

    • 2 Grams of Pähkinä

Instructions:

Chop the onion and shave the reindeer meat into thin slices. In a large cauldron, melt the fat over a fire. Add the onion, pähkinä and sliced reindeer meat to the hot fat and cook until browned. Add the water and simmer for half an hour while skimming off any scum that floats to the top. Slice the mushrooms and juuri then add the mushrooms, juuri, puola berries, and reindeer milk to the water. Let simmer for another half hour then serve hot. Serve with rootbread or ale.