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Meats and preperations
Topic Started: Feb 13 2008, 08:53 PM (94 Views)
naja_MS
Administrator
Gor as We know is populated by earth descendants, and like humans everywhere, nutritional requirements are the same. In fact Goreans were generally in much better health. Many of the things found on Gor are actually from earth, such as blackwine, which is nothing more than the coffee We drink, albeit a much more potent brew, probably akin to expresso, or some Arabic brews. Other items seem to be a cross between an earth animal, plant, etc, and the gods only know what. However, earthly recipes would work well with practically any dish served, and should prove a worthy challenge for any slave tasked with the preparation of foods, drinks, appetizers, delicacies and other items.
Herein I’ll address the meats, and while I am sure My listing isn’t the be-all, end-all, comprehensive authority on the subject matter, it’s a start, and I welcome additions to it in the form of a “Reply” here.
Pardons to any who might be offended that this posting isn’t “academic” enough, but who says learning can’t be a bit of fun?


Bosk - Bosk are large, ox-like creatures, raised primarily by the Wagon Peoples. I am positive that these peoples utilized every bit of the animal, wasting nothing as their forefathers on earth were noted for. They are the “beef” of Gor. It goes without saying that the animals were also used, extensively, in trade, so it must be assumed that its consumption was wide spread. Bosk meat may be prepared in almost any familiar fashion that We’d use here on earth. Steaks and roasts may be cut from the meat, it may be cut into stews, sauces, casseroles, ground into patties and loaves, baked, broiled, grilled, braised, fried, steamed...let your imagination run wild….think a large rack of bosk ribs on the grill.

"The bosk, without which the Wagon Peoples could not live, is an ox like creature. It is a huge, shambling animal, with a thick, humped neck and long, shaggy hair. Not only does the flesh of the bosk and the milk of its cows furnish the Wagon Peoples with food and drink, but its hides cover the domelike wagons in which they dwell; its tanned and sewn skin cover their bodies"
Nomads of Gor, pages 4-5

"I smelled roast bosk cooking, and fried vulo..."
Hunters of Gor, page 34


Cosian Wingfish - Cosian wingfish is an incredible delicacy. Called wingfish due to its ability to fly above the waters of Cos for short distances, it may be served in any manner that is suitable for small, individual fish. Pan frying the small fish, heads removed but otherwise intact, is a special treat, as it's livers are considered an extreme delicacy. It is said that the dorsal fins have spines that are poisonous, and while probably not deadly, would probably be akin to stepping on an earth sea urchin, a bit of caution would be advised.

"'Now this,' Saphrar the merchant was telling me, 'is the braised liver of the blue four-spired Cosian wingfish.' This fish is a tiny, delicate fish, blue, about the size of a tarn disk when curled in one's hand; it has three or four slender spines in its dorsal fin, which are poisonous; it is capable of hurling itself from the water and, for brief distances, on its stiff pectoral fins, gliding through the air, usually to evade the smaller sea-tharlarions, which seem to be immune to the poison of the spines. This fish is also sometimes referred to as the songfish because, as a portion of its courtship rituals, the males and females thrust their heads from the water and utter a sort of whistling sound. The blue, four-spired wingfish is found only in the waters of Cos. Larger varieties are found farther out to sea. The small blue fish is regarded as a great delicacy, and its liver as the delicacy of delicacies."
Nomads of Gor, pages 84-85


Eels - Eels are great and can be cooked most any way imaginable. Apart from smoked eels, I can say that the very best I have ever had was simply grilled, baked, or pan-fried. Prepared this way it is surprisingly similar to similarly cooked monkfish. I find that cooking it in its skin is a good idea. Skin, ideally crispy, is perhaps the tastiest part. A citrus butter or tospit and butter sauce to cut the very oily taste of the fish is preferred by many.

This is one an old recipe:

Open and clean eel and make two parallel cuts. Cover the bottom of a large pot (preferably of terracotta) with bay leaves and arrange the eel on top, circling it around itself. Season with salt and peppercorns and cover with another layer of bay leaves. Let cook, adding nothing else, as the eel meat will cook in its own fat.

Tradition has it that it should be cooked over hot coals in the glass furnaces, ~grins~…We all have one of those….but alternatively you can use a high oven for about 25 minutes.

"Clitus, too, had brought two bottles of Ka-la-na wine, a string of eels, cheese of the Verr and a sack of red olives from the groves of Tyros."
Raiders of Gor, page 114

Eggs of the White Grunt - The eggs described are served like caviar, in small bowls over ice, with a tiny spoon for each bowl. Additionally, slices of tospit or lemon and small triangles of toasted sa-tarna bread, as well as grated onion and chopped hard-boiled vulo egg should be available when serving this delicacy.

"In the hall was a open circle of small tables, at which a handful of guests, on cushions and mats, reclined. There were four men and two women at these tables, other than the Lady Florence, the hostess, and her guest of the past several days, the Lady Metpomene. The tables were covered with cloths of glistening white and a service of gold. Before each guest there were tiny slices of tospit and larma, small pastries, and in a tiny golden cup, with a small golden spoon, the clustered, black, tiny eggs of the white grunt. The first wine, a light white wine, was being deferentially served by Pamela and Bonnie."
Fighting Slave of Gor, pages 275-276


Fish (White Grunt) - White Grunt is a large, meaty fish (perhaps akin to a tuna of earth), and can be served poached, filleted, baked or fried.

"Three other men of the Forkbeard attended to fishing, two with a net, sweeping it along the side of the serpent, for parsit fish, and the third, near the stem, with a hook and line, baited with vulo liver, for the white-bellied grunt, a large game fish which haunts the plankton banks to feed on parsit fish."
Marauders of Gor, page 59

Marsh Gant - The Marsh Gant is an aquatic fowl akin to duck. It is small, web-footed and horned. It is hunted by Marsh girls and/or Rencers for food, and it is unclear whether it is exported outside of the marshes. However, with the proximity to Port Kar and the trade plied through the marshes it is likely that this meat is available through some portion of Gor on occasion, as is the case at the Gorean Depot as We lie just across the Gulf from Port Kar. If the opportunity presents to serve it, think about roasting it on a spit, where the skin can crisp well and the layer of fat beneath the skin is able to drain away a bit, or cook it on its breast, which allows the fat to soak through the bird as it cooks, imparting that wonderful taste. Basting with ramberry or peach jelly makes a wonderful glaze.

"I heard a bird some forty or fifty yards to my right; it sounded like a marsh gant, a small, horned, web-footed aquatic fowl, broad-billed and broad-winged. Marsh girls, the daughters of Rence growers, sometimes hunt them with throwing sticks."
Raiders of Gor, page 4

Oysters - Oysters can be fried, steamed, baked, or eaten raw from the half shell. Also they may be used as a stuffing for other fish or fowl.

"Other girls had prepared the repast, which for a the war camp, was sumptuous indeed, containing even oysters from the delta of the Vosk,"
Captive of Gor, page 301


Parsit Fish - Parsit fish is like the smelt or herring of earth. They are a slender silver fish with brown stripes. A common staple in the North, they are served often in Torvoldsland, and put into the slave/bond-maid gruel. It does not transport well fresh, but is smoked and exported to the south. Since it is so similar to smelt or herring, the best preparations would probably be frying, pickling, serving in cream sauce, or serving smoked with fruit, cheese and bread.

"The men of Torvaldsland are skilled with their hands. Trade to the south, of course is largely in furs acquired from Torvaldsland, and in barrels of smoked, dried parsit fish."
Marauders of Gor, page 28

"The men who had fished with the net had now cleaned the catch of parsit fish, and chopped the cleaned, boned, silverish bodies into pieces, a quarter inch in width. Another of the bond-maids was then freed to mix the bond-maid gruel, mixing fresh water with Sa-Tarna meal, and then stirring in the raw fish."
Marauders of Gor, pages 63-64

Snails - Snails can be eaten raw, boiled, steamed, or used as an accent flavor in casseroles and stuffings. Their flesh is quite "rubbery" and very chewy usually, and must be picked or sucked out of the shell.

Once the Forkbeard went to her and taught her to check the scoop, with her left hand, for snails, that they not be thrown overboard.Returning to Me, He held one of the snails, whose shell He crushed between His fingers, and sucked out the animal, chewing and swallowing it. He then threw the shell fragments overboard."They are edible," He said, "and We use them for fish bait."
Marauders of Gor pg 62

Tabuk - There are two different types of tabuk on Gor, depending on where one lives. Southern tabuk is small, with a pale yellow short pelt. The meat is lean and somewhat gamey. The Northern tabuk, on the other hand, is much larger, with a shaggy, light coat. The meat of the northern tabuk is leaner than bosk, but much richer in fats than the southern version. Probably very much like Our own venison (deer). It is therefore more suitable to grilling than the southern tabuk, which, unless fresh, should be roasted or stewed. Northern tabuk makes a rich stew or soup stock, and can be smoked to make a good jerky. The fat rendered from beneath the skin of the Northern tabuk is rich, and a treat to cook with.

"They were northern tabuk, massive, tawny and swift; many of them ten hands at the shoulder, a quite different animal from the small, yellow-pelted antelope-like quadruped of the south. On the other hand, they too were distinguished by the single horn of the tabuk. On these animals, however, that object, in swirling ivory, was often, at its base, some two and one half inches in diameter, and better than a yard in length. A charging tabuk, because of the swiftness of its reflexes, is quite a dangerous animal."
Beasts of Gor, page 152

"Gripped in the talons of the tarn was the dead body of an antelope, one of the one-horned, yellow antelopes called tabuks that frequent the bright Ka-la-na thickets of Gor."
Tarnsman of Gor, page 145

Tarsk - Tarsk is most often served roasted, or like its earthly kin in chops. If like its earth counter-part, the wild boar, it is a very strong, and gamey, meat. Leftover roasted meat may be served in a casserole. Ground tarsk may be seasoned and served in patties.

"if I were lucky, a slice of roast tarsk, the formidable six tusked wild boar of Gor’s temperate forests."
Assassin of Gor, page 87

"Before the feast I had helped the women, cleaning fish and dressing marsh gants, and then, later, turning spits for the roasted tarsks, roasted over rence-root fires, kept on metal pans, elevated above the rence of the islands by metal racks, themselves resting on larger pans."
Raiders of Gor, page 44


Tumits - Tumits are hunted only among the Wagon Peoples, as a ritual test of bravery. I think it might be akin to the ostrich, but with one hell of an attitude.

"I gathered that the best time to hunt tumits, the large flightless, carnivourous birds of the southern plains, was at hand..."
Nomads of Gor, page 331

Verr – As a Satyr I can not imagine anyone wanting to eat one of these noble cousins, renowned for their frisky nature, and keen intelligence. Verr is like goat. It is very strong tasting when prepared as a meat, with a high, strongly flavored oil content. It is best served with relishes or strong salty cheeses, with olives, or with vegetables, and well seasoned with mint, rosemary, garlic and/or tarragon. Or, a well seasoned verr’s head soup, with the eyes floating about for the most honoured of guests present

"The smell of fruit and vegetables, and verr milk, was strong."
Savages of Gor, page 60

"In the cafes, I had feasted well.I had had verr meat, cut in chunks and threaded on a metal rod"
Tribesmen of Gor, page 48

Vulo - There is great debate about vulo...some passages making it seem 'like chicken' and others describing it as much smaller...like Rock Cornish game hen, while still other passages conjur visions of pheasant to Me. In any case, vulo can be fried, baked, broiled, and prepared as soups, stews and kabobs. Delicacies like the spiced vulo brain are, of course, optional preparations.

"vulo stew with raisins, nuts, onions and honey"
Tribesmen of Gor, page 48

"I shot the spiced vulo brain into my mouth"
Nomad of Gor, page 84

"Soon, I smelled the frying of vulo eggs in a large, flat pan"
Slave Girl of Gor, page 73

"I smelled roast bosk cooking, and fried vulo...I held the leg of the fried vulo toward one of the girls..."
Hunters of Gor, page 34

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