Moi

While the Bay of Blessings (Known by native populations as the Bot'Ilu) is plentiful in its sources of food, the Tirians believed they could make the bay just a bit more efficient. An aquatic plant brought to Kerine by the Tirians, Moi were an ancient species of saltwater surface plant bred by the coastal farmers of Metiria. Moi appear as a lily pad-like plant with circular leaves, a single white flower, and a large, root-covered bulb that develop and grows beneath the surface of the water. The roots of the bulb filter nutrients from the water, as well as maintain water and salt balances for the plant itself. The bulb is commonly harvested for food and is able to grow up to the size of a pomelo. One is able to determine if the Moi is ripe for harvest by looking at the color of the flower, as it turns from a pale yellow to an ivory white when it is fully matured and ready for harvest. Moi are a staple for the people of the coastal city of Kradence, as well as settlements beyond via trading. Large swaths of the bay have been sectioned off for Moi cultivation and production and, like many things in the bay, are beholden to the whims two Lua of Kerine.

After harvest, Moi are stored in buckets if saltwater in markets and domiciles. Their flowers are trimmed, which causes the plant to cease development and maintain the current size of the bulb. The preparing of Moi depends on the dish that one wants to serve. Without any seasoning, Moi has a taste that is a mix of an onion and a potato. As such, the vegetable is quite starchy and nutritious. Commonly, Moi is scooped straight out of the saltwater that it is stored in and boiled until it is fully cooked. Restaurants and shops often roast or bake them as it presents much better that way, the char of roasting juxtaposed by dulled green of the cooked Moi. At the highest end of preparation, Moi is roasted over an open flame while basted with fish oil until tender. Needless to say, the more people get their hands on Moi, the more ways are discovered for utilizing this delicious staple.

Fermentation

Leave it to Tirians to find a way to get wasted off water...

— Tirian Historians

One additional method of preparing Moi is commonly done in the city of Kradence. If one leaves the flower of the Moi intact, the bulb continues to develop. Eventually, the roots will begin to fall off of the bulb of the Moi, at which point the plant is transferred into a bucket of fresh water. Before all the roots are shed by the plant, pouring a small amount of yeast into the fresh water will cause it to be absorbed into the plant. As the final roots are shed, the bulb begins to hollow out, and the yeast begin to feed on the inner flesh of the Moi bulb and end up causing fermentation inside the plant.

After a few days, the bulb is harvested from the Moi, split, and poured into glass bottles either for sale or personal use as Chan-Moi. The longer the bulbs are kept closed, the stronger the alcohol content will be for the drink. Chan-Moi, when produced correctly with a lower alcohol content, tends to fetch a high price, as higher alcohol content Chan-Moi are commonly sold in bulk to laborers, mercenaries, and soldiers. To one who does not commonly partake in Chan-Moi, the taste is surprising and potentially off putting as the bubbly liquid paired with a strong, sweet crab meat flavor takes first-timers off guard.

Whether its as a vegetable for a meal or fermented into a beverage for both noble and commoner alike, Moi is a stable of the coastal city of Kradence and a few settlements beyond.