The Culinary Culture of the Lunar Covenant

The Lunar Covenant’s cuisine is deeply intertwined with the land, the moon’s cycles, and the spiritual beliefs of its people. Unlike the structured, fire-forged cooking traditions of the Holy Solarian Empire, the Covenant’s culinary practices reflect the changing seasons, the sacred balance of nature, and the nomadic or semi-settled lifestyles of its tribes and communities.

The Lunar Covenant consists of diverse groups, from the wild-roaming Lunar Tribes to the hidden mystics of the Circle of Shadows and the soldiers of the Crescent Blades. Each has their own culinary customs, but common themes unite them all—foraged ingredients, preservation methods, and the influence of the moon on agriculture, rituals, and feasting.

National Culinary Staples of the Lunar Covenant

Unlike the Empire’s fire-driven cooking, the Covenant places more emphasis on smoking, fermenting, drying, and earth-based cooking methods like clay-baking and pit-roasting. Their foods are meant to be nourishing, long-lasting, and deeply connected to the cycles of the moon and land.

Common Staples:

• Moongrain Porridge – A staple of Covenant diets, made from a blend of wild grains, roasted nuts, and honey, often eaten during dawn and dusk meals to align with Lunarel’s cycle.
• Ash-baked Root Vegetables – Tubers like sweet potatoes, turnips, and beets, buried in hot coals or baked in clay pits, giving them a deep, earthy flavor.
• Dried and Cured Meats – Smoked venison, rabbit, and fish are commonly preserved using a mix of salt and lunar herbs, ensuring food lasts through long winters or journeys.
• Herbal Infusions and Moon-Teas – Various herbs and flowers, like moonblossom, lavender, and chamomile, are steeped into mildly intoxicating teas used for vision quests and meditations.
• Lunese Wildcheese – A soft, creamy cheese made from goat’s milk, often aged in caves, giving it a rich and slightly tart flavor.

Signature Flavors and Ingredients:

• Smoked and Fermented Foods – Preserved using the natural environment rather than controlled fire.
• Wild Herbs and Medicinal Mushrooms – Used for both culinary and spiritual purposes.
• Fruits and Nuts – Forests and valleys provide berries, hazelnuts, and wild figs used in both meals and offerings to the gods.
• Honey and Herbal Sweeteners – Rather than refined sugar, the Covenant uses honey, tree saps, and wild syrups.

Regional Cuisines of the Lunar Covenant