Unlike Harpocrates’ and Vivan’s tomes, I was able to make out the contents of the book Rodrigue is studying in the infirmary without too much squinting. I’d expected it to be on something related to herblore or medicine, but it seems more like the sort of book Yvan ought to be reading...and perhaps explains why the kitchen aide wasn’t terribly put off by the outlandish recipes in Valisthea-A Culinary Pilgrimage.
Incidentally, this is also the book Shirleigh is reading in the same chapter and the one Gav is reading in CH32 when he’s supposedly looking into information on frost wolves and Torgal.
*n.b. All spellings and punctuation have been maintained.
To dres a Chocobo’s Head curiously
One must bone it and hollow it and clean it in fresh spring water thrice afore leaving to dry for no less than a sennight. Take five or six sweetbreads of the nutkin, half a bushell of artichoke bottoms, two chocobo eggs, and a crock of sour’d creame and fill the head to brimming, having seen care to sew the eyen shut and seal the beake with a payste of sunset flour and water. To this add a race of ginger, two blades of mace, and a collar of day-old brawn. Set forelocks down in a brick oven and have your Bearer apply mild heat to the stuwe so as not to char the feathers, while stirring widdershins to thicken. Cool with crystal until styff. Serve forelocks-up on a bed of savoys or buttered Ghysahl greenes.
Notes:
*a sennight = (archaic) seven nights, a week
*afore = (archaic) before
*nutkin → creature featured in FFXIV
*crock → an earthenware pot, jar, or other container
*seen care = taken care
*eyen = (archaic) eyes
*sunset flour → Likely an allusion to the sunset wheat flour in FFXIV.
*a race of ginger → Historically, the word ‘race’ was sometimes used to describe different types or breeds of plants, animals, or even products (like wines or fruits), based on their specific origin or characteristic traits. So, a ‘race of ginger’ could be seen as a culinary or horticultural term denoting a specific variety of ginger with unique qualities.
*collar → A presentation or decoration in certain complex dishes, such as roasts, where a collar of dough, pastry, or vegetables would enhance the dish.
*brawn → an alternate spelling of “brown,” a.k.a. a dark-colored broth or pottage common in medieval times made from long-cooked meats, often rich in flavor due to roasting or browning of ingredients.
*widdershins = counterclockwise
*savoys → a type of cabbage
Alternate Spellings:
*dres = dress
*bushell = bushel
*sour’d creame = sour cream
*beake = beake
*payste = paste
*stuwe = stew
*styff = stiff
*greenes = greens
To Stuwe Landbird
Take four legges of a younge chocobo, clear the knuckles, remove the swerds, and beat them sound with the butt of a paring knife ’til as soft as Phoenix down. Soak in aurochs creame and cracked pepper corne for one day and one night. Pat dry and sprinkle generously with bay salt and citrus peele cut very fine. Wrap in leaves of Gysahl and place in a deep cauldron with onions and gil buns, then cover with stocke taken from feet of the slayne birde. Set it to flame ’til soup is reduced by halfe. Add butter and a quarter cuppe of white wine and reduce soup once more by halfe. Discarde leaves and serve with jade pease pudding or with flatbread in the style of the Dhalmeks.
Notes:
*swerds → (archaic) swords, here referring to talons, I assume.
*aurochs → an extinct species of bovine, considered to be the wild ancestor of modern domestic cattle. It might also be a nod to the Besaid Aurochs of FFX.
*gil buns → mushrooms featured in FFXIV
*jade pease pudding → green pea pudding (in the British sense)
Alternate Spellings:
*stuwe = stew
*legges = legs
*younge = young
*creame = cream
*pepper corne = pepper corn
*peele = peel
*stocke = stocke
*slayne birde = slain bird
*halfe = half
*cuppe = cup
*discarde = discard