Illistimi Culinary Arts Academy Lectures

Illistimi Culinary Arts Academy Lectures is an Official GemStone IV Document, and it is protected from editing.

The Illistimi Culinary Arts Academy holds periodic lectures on cuisine and other culinary-aligned interests. Their lectures will be gathered here as they occur.

Lecture 1 - Ta'Loenthra - The Painted Bird: The Painted Bird is a traditional dish found in many Loenthran households, its namesake coming from the blue-skinned chicken often served upon a bed of vividly colored florals and various kaleidoscopic accouterments. The true skill is the incorporation of elements that enhance the flavor and overall experience of the meal, as simply cooking a chicken does not serve the Loenthran tenets of Art All Around Us. Other varieties of feathered fowl can also be utilized in the recipe, as blue-skinned chickens are often expensive and difficult to obtain during the fall and winter seasons.

Students of Loenthran cuisine are told of the legend of the blue-skinned chicken's origins, although it would be difficult to substantiate such a claim. Legend has it that a young chef's apprentice, struggling to make a name for himself in a competitive kitchen, simply fed a chicken a diet of blueberries and thick cream, creating a subsequent meal of sweetened, rich poultry. We are fully aware that the blue-skinned chicken is a result of expert breeding practices, though it does not sway a chef from attempting to convince younger students to feed a pampered diet to a future meal.

The Painted Bird's typical preparation begins the day before, as the bird must be properly cut and dried before seasonings of herbs (typically fresh from the garden, although dried is also acceptable when acquisition is an issue) and mortar-ground spices are gently pressed onto and underneath the delicate skin.

Once the chicken has been seasoned, it is placed over a medley of colored vegetables, the diced arrangement reminiscent of the glassworks the city-state is renowned for. The vegetables are often tossed in selanbel honey and athysgelden, the roasting process adding a subtle sweetness to the dish whilst the athysgelden glistens as it maintains its characteristic pale amethyst sheen through the cooking process.

Immediately after the chicken and vegetables have been properly roasted, a compound butter of (once again) hand-picked herbs and edible flora is added to the finished dish, the pops of flavor and brightness adding a visually appealing layer to the meal.

Knots of rainbow-dyed sourdough are served alongside the meal, the tangy, vinegar-like flavors complementing the sweetness of the finished chicken. Some bakers have utilized particular natural extracts to create gradients of color, the more aesthetic-forward dinner parties coloring their breads to match the decor.

Belien mead or a citrus-forward white wine is also found on the Loenthran dinner table, rounding out the flavors like the final brushstroke of a work of art.