Molten Pickle Mix
Molten Pickle Mix is a fiery, fermented dwarven relish made from root vegetables, cave peppers, and sour fungi, preserved in a lava-hued brine rich in vinegar, ash salts, and fermented ember-spice paste. Traditionally served alongside fatty meats, stonebread, or fried cave-hog skin, it’s also used as a cooking base, trail food additive, or dare-based challenge between drunk miners.
It’s spicy enough to clear sinuses, polish helmets, and ignite family rivalries.
“If it doesn’t steam the inside of your helmet, add more pepper.”
Manufacturing process
Instructions
- Prep the Veg
Clean and chop all vegetables into thin slices or sticks. Mix thoroughly in a large bowl and lightly salt (1 tsp). Let sit 1 hour until slightly wilted. - Make the Brine
Boil water, remove from heat, and stir in vinegar, honey, salt, emberpepper, charcoal ash, and your ferment starter. Let cool to lukewarm. - Jar and Ferment
Stuff the veggies into sterilized stone or glass jars, leaving about 2–3cm of headspace. Pour brine over until everything is submerged. Weigh down with a clean pebble or ferment weight. - Cover and Wait
Loosely seal (cloth, waxskin, or fermentation lid) and store in a cool, dark tunnel or cupboard for 5–7 days. Burp the jars daily if sealed tight. Ferment longer for a deeper burn. - Finish and Store
Once desired heat and tang are reached, seal tightly and refrigerate (or store in coldstone) up to 3 months. Flavor intensifies over time.
“Ferment until it hisses. Taste only if you're ready.”
Significance
Cultural Notes
- Trial of Heat: Some forge apprentices must eat a spoonful before taking the “Hammer Vow.”
- Brine Lore: Old Dwarves say if the brine bubbles bright orange on day four, your ancestors are proud. If it turns black? You’ve angered something.
- Export Ban: Molten Pickle Mix is rarely sold to outsiders — not because it's secret, but because non-Dwarves keep suing taverns for injury.
Item type
Consumable, Food / Drink
Raw materials & Components
Ingredients (Fills 2 large stone jars / ~1.5 liters)
Vegetables:
- 1 cup emberroot (or carrots/beets), julienned
- 1 cup ash-radish, sliced thin
- ½ cup stonefungus caps or shiitake, shredded
- 1 medium cave onion, thinly sliced
- 1–2 fermented firepeppers, minced (or use hot chilies)
- Optional: ½ cup chopped sourroot stalks for extra pucker
Brine:
- 3 cups boiled mineral water
- 1 cup rock vinegar (or strong apple cider vinegar)
- 1 tbsp black salt
- 1 tbsp crushed emberpepper
- 1 tbsp smokebloom honey
- 1 tsp charcoal ash (food-safe activated charcoal or omit for realism)
Ferment Starter:
- 2 tbsp lava paste (a mash of firepepper, garlic, salt, and fungus base)
or use 2 tbsp sauerkraut juice / spicy kimchi brine
Uses
- Slathered on Embercrust Rolls
- Mixed into Stonelump Stew for kick
- Used as a marinade for cave-hog chops
- Spread on rootcakes or eggs for maximum chaos
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