Jostled Mother Mooreeffoc is served by a mere couple hundred Brakhani priests throughout all of Harborhead, but occasional honors are thrown her way by most Brakhani at some point. Many Harborheadites of the other Peoples have also said a quick word of appreciation after a particularly good cup. Well, those who have acquired the taste for Brakhani butter coffee, that is.
Butter coffee is a drink particular to the Brakhani People, and especially to that subset that lives high in the Summer Mountains. The Brakhani begin, obviously, by boiling water. When the water boils, a great handful of ground coffee beans is crumbled into it and allowed to stew for between ten and fifteen minutes, until the whole infusion is so opaque that it looks almost black. At this stage a pinch of salt is added; the Brakhani always put salt, never sugar, in their coffee. They sometimes add a little soda, in order to give the beverage a pinkish tinge, but this is very rare. They very seldom, on the other hand, drink coffee without butter in it. If a Brakhani is at home, e empties the saucepan into a big wooden churn, straining the coffee through a colander made of reed or horsehair. Then e drops a large lump of butter into it, and, after being vigorously stirred, this brew is transferred to a huge copper teapot and put on a brazier to keep it hot. When Brakhani travel, they do not normally take a churn with them, so everyone fills eir wooden bowl with coffee, scoops a piece of butter out of a basket, puts it in the bowl, stirs the mixture gently with eir finger, and, finally, drinks the tea.
As mentioned before, Jostled Mother Mooreeffoc serves as an occasional liaison between the Sub-Sub-Ministry of Brtakhani Cuisine and Ahlat, god of cattle and Southern war. This is due to the afore-mentioned custom of adding butter to one's coffee among the Brakhani. This association has, naturally, carried over to the Brakhani People themselves, who consider butter coffee a warriors' drink, prizing the energy, stamina, and focus provided by the drink. This is thje reason why there is as much of a cult for this minor goddess as there is, though elements of the cult's theology suggest a much more ancient and powerful aspect for her.
This element of Jostled Mother Mooreeffoc's theology is particularly played up by the Tkamuhi Glorious Resistance Army, which has as much as a full quarter of priests dedicated to her service. This is because she is one of the three gods their Eclipse Caste leader Fesojynok has built a relationship with, who use lost Charms to lend him their power and share his body. When Fesojynok and Jostled Mother Mooreeffoc are joined in this way, he gains great powers of speed and agility.
Notes on Brakhani Cuisine in General
Brakhani cuisine reflects local climes and customs. Few crops grow at the high altitudes that characterize the inner portion of Brakhani territory in the Summer Mountains, although some areas in the Summer Mountains are low enough to grow such crops as rice, oranges, bananas, and lemon. The most important crop is barley. Flour milled from roasted barley, called apmast, is the staple food of the Brakhani. Pelab is Brakhani bread eaten for breakfast and lunch. Apkuth is mainly consumed for dinner. It consists of noodles of various shapes, vegetables and meat in broth. Brakhani cuisine is traditionally served with wooden chopsticks, in contrast to other Summer Mountain cuisines, which are eaten by hand. Small soup bowls are also used, and rich Brakhani feed from bowls of gold and silver.
Meat dishes are likely to be beef, goat, or mutton, often dried, or cooked in a spicy stew with potatoes. Mustard seed is cultivated in the Summer Mountains, and therefore features heavily in its cuisine. Yoghurt, butter and cheese are frequently eaten, and well-prepared yoghurt is considered something of a prestige item.
Other Members of the Sub-Sub-Ministry of Brakhani Cuisine
- ???, god of apkuth, a Brakhani noodle dish
- ???, god of pelabash, a bread stuffed with seasoned beef and fashioned into semi-circular or circular shapes and which according to regional variations is either deep fried or pan fried like pot stickers.
- ???, god of pelabnukrok, a central Summer Mountain flatbread cooked on a skillet rather than in an oven.
- ???, god of somom, a type of steamed dumpling, a heavier version of the Realm's jiaozi.
- ???, god of kuthneth, a type of cold-weather soup made with noodles and various vegetables.
- ???, god of bashart, stir-fried meat tossed with celery, carrots and fresh green chili.
- ???, god of amryug, Brakhani blood sausages with cow or sheep's blood and roasted barley flour or rice as filler
- ???, god of edkuth, a type of soup that includes beef or sheep stock along with rice, different types of Brakhani cheeses and amord which is a type of gourd-shaped Summer Mountain root.
- ???, god of kuthmast, a type of soup that uses beef or sheep stock and roasted barley flour as well as a variety of Brakhani cheeses.
- ???, god of iserd, Brakhani sweet dish using rice that is cooked in unsalted butter and mixed with raisins, amord, dates and other nuts. This dish is usually served only during Calibration.
- ???, god of yepsakh, Brakhani cookies or biscuits that are deep fried and usually made during Calibration or celebrations such as weddings. Yepsakh are fashioned into many different intricate shapes and textures. Some are sprinkled with powdered sugar while other shapes such as the donkey ear-shaped yepsakh are used for decoration.
