#Dragon Age Cookbook Tastes of Thedas

[feykrorovaan]

They changed the cover of the Dragon Age Cookbook and it actually looks good now.

Bravo! :D

[exhausted-archivist]

All Lore from the Dragon Age: Official Cookbook: Taste of Thedas

This is going to be a long post with all the lore from the cookbook collected in one post. This is only going to be counting the lore in the "blurbs" so to speak as the actual recipes themselves, which are not meant to be set in-world.

Additionally, it should be noted that I am unable to say one way or the other if the props used in the photos or the etching art shown on some recipes are to be taken as reflecting the canon the cookbook narrator is in. For the sake of completeness, I have included the less conclusive elements.

Shoving everything below the cut for length as well as to help people avoid spoilers. Think I got everything... There is a lot in this book honestly.

Cookbook Lore

World State

Cassandra is Divine.

The Hero of Ferelden is a Cousland Warden.

The Warden gave Leliana Schmooples.

Hawke is a non-mage, as Varric knows Bethany.

Hawke is diplomatic in personality.

Bull's Chargers, Krem, and Bull are all alive.

Cullen stayed off lyrium.

Celene is empress; Briala and Gaspard are still alive.

Alistair is king.

Varric is viscount.

Uncertain aspects of the world state:

The suggested lore based on the art, props used in photos, and vague wording in blurbs. These are not for certain this is the canon.

Briala is described as a spymaster and lover, implying she was possibly reunited with Celene.

Celene, Briala, and Gaspard are possibly working together in the truce. But the wording is vague it could simply be Celene ruling alone while Briala and Gaspard live.

Cole was encouraged to be more human and is traveling with Maryden Halewell.

Cullen got his mabari.

Josephine was romanced by the Inquisitor.

Morrigan has Keiran.

The Hero of Ferelden romanced King Alistair.

Food Lore

Lentils and onions are common ingredients to find in pantries across Thedas.

Ferelden has reliable access to tomatoes that allows them to use them regularly in their food.

Fereldans are known for their love of soups, stews, pickled eggs, and turnips that it is regularly joked about and seen as a stereotype. Devon regularly comments on the known expectations.

Turnip and Mutton Pie is a classic Fereldan dish served in taverns across the nation.

Nevarra food culture holds that food is suppose to be a feast for the eyes and mouth. Leading to their plating to be dazzling and seen as works of art.

The Jade Ham, is a smoked Anderfels ham with a particular glaze made from wildflowers and turns the ham as hard as jade.

The Anderfels are hostile and often considered inhospitible in certain areas. But despite the harsh environment, pigs farm well there and as a result are much larger than elsewhere in Thedas.

There are custard connoisseurs across Thedas.

Lichen ale is toxic, though most dwarves are able to handle it. However, non-dwarves can only tolerate a few sips of the drink.

Isabela has a drinking game based on how many enemies you have, it has killed at least one person.

The Rivaini tea blend is said to have healing properties such as helping alleviate headaches.

Dwarves underground raise giant spiders like people on the surface raise cattle and goats.

Orzammar has a contest where one is crowned as Orzammar's Best Sauce, the competition is so fierce people get underhanded in their attempts to acquire recipes. This has led to eateries, and in general people of Orzammar, to guard their recipes from others.

Orzammar also farms various mushrooms for eating.

Rice is commonly found in Antiva and Rivain, however it is not a large export for Antiva so it is a rare grain for folks in Ferelden. Due to it not being exported, rice is a cheap food item in Antiva and is very common in the more mundane foods of commoners.

Wyvern, like phoenix, can become deadly poisonous if eaten when they aren't prepared properly.

A jam maker lives in Orzammar, importing individual ingredients so they can make the jam themselves and hopefully sell it cheaper than imported jam.

Fauna

Mentioned through out the cookbook, not necessarily as ingredients themselves but sources for other food items.

Ayesleigh gulabi goat - Rivain

Cattle

Cave Beetles - Underground

Chicken

Crab

Cuttlefish

Dracolisk

Giant

Giant Spider

Goat

Gurgut

Halla

Lamprey

Lurker

Mackerel

Mussel

Nug

Pig

Prawn

Quillback

Sheep

Shrimp

Snail

Turkey

Wyvern

Additional Lore

The golden nug statues do exist in Thedas, Devon mentions seeing one in Haven and hearing rumors of there being more.

Fereldans who worked for the Inquisition would leave Commander Cullen pickled eggs on his desk while he was going through the worst of his lyrium withdrawal symptoms.

Spring time is gurgut mating season, and travelers are advised to keep their distance.

Starkhaven is oval in shape, shaped by rings of tall, grey stone walls, is filled with lavish estates, fountains, and sits on the Minanter River.

Makes reference to the ambient events of where Cole dumped a bushel of turnips onto a fire.

Food: Dishes, Ingredients, and More

Foods/Dishes

These are mentioned, referenced, and/or introduced in the cookbook description of the food, these aren't including the ingredients or foods mentioned in the recipes.

If the item is marked with **, it means there are multiple cultures with the same dish but the cookbook is offering specifically that as the reference point.

Apple Grenade - Antiva

Bark Bread - suggested alternative to black lichen

Biscuit

Biscuit, sweets

Black Lichen Bread - Orzammar

Blancmange - a white pudding dish from Orlais

Blood Orange Salad - Nevarra

Boiled Turnip

Bun

Bun, sweet - a pastry served as dessert

Cabbage Soup - Ferelden

Cacio e Pepe

Cherry Sauce

Cherry Cupcakes - Tevinter

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cream

Cinnamon Rolls

Couscous Salad - Rivain

Crab Cakes - Kirkwall

Croissant - Orlais

Crow Feed - Antiva

Custard

Dark Bread

Eggs à la Val Foret - Orlais

Fish Chowder - Antiva

Fish Wraps/Fish Pockets - Seheron

Flat Bread - Nevarra

Fluffy Mackerel Pudding - Ferelden

Forest Fruit Cobbler - Dalish

Found Cake - Ferelden

Fried Crab Legs - a substitute version of fried young giant spiders

Fried Young Giant Spiders - Orzammar

Gnocchi - Antiva

Goat Custard - Rivain **

Grilled Poussin - Chasind

Gurgut Roast with Lowlander Spices and Mushroom Sauce - Avvar

Hearth Cakes - Dalish

Hearty Scones - Ferelden

Honey Carrots - Orlais **

Jade Ham - More suited for a weapon, stated to not be suited for eating.

Lamprey Cake - not made of real lamprey, just a cake modeled after it.

Lentil Soup - City Elf **

Llomerryn Red - Rivain

Mashed Turnip

Merrill's Blood Soup - Dalish

Mushroom Sauce

Nettle Soup - origins unclear

Nug Bacon and Egg Pie - Ferelden

Paella - Antiva

Pastry Pockets - recipe originates with the Grey Wardens, cookbook provides the Orlesian Grey Warden variation **

Peasant Bread - Orlais

Pickled Eggs - Ferelden

Pickled Lamprey - Free Marches

Poached Egg

Poison Stings - Chocolate-coated orange peels from Tevinter

Potato and Leek Soup - Ferelden

Pumpkin Bread - Tevinter

Red Grape Compote

Rice Pudding - Tevinter

Roasted Fig

Roasted Cave Beetles - Orzammar

Roasted Prawns - a substitute prawns for cave beetles

Roasted Turnip

Roll, pastry

Snail and Watercress Salad - Avvar

Sour Cherries in Cream - Orlais

Spiced Jerky - Dalish

Steamed Turnip

Stir-fried Turnip

Strawberry and Rhubarb Cobbler - Ferelden

Stuffed Cabbage - Ferelden

Stuffed Deep Mushrooms - Orzammar

Stuffed Vine Leaves - Tevinter

Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup - Ferelden

Toasted Almonds

Traviso Energy Balls - Antiva

Tzatziki - Tevinter

Turnip and Mutton Pie - Ferelden

Unidentified Meat - a common tavern food in Tevinter

Yogurt Dip - Nevarra

Drinks

Chasind Sack Mead

Chasind Wildwine

The Emerald Valley

The Golden Nug

The Hissing Drake

Hot Chocolate

Lichen Ale

Pomegranate Juice

Rivaini Tea Blend

West Hill Brandy

White Seleney wine

Ingredients

These are only listed in the lore entries and not the actual recipes themselves as whether or not they are canon is questionable as the recipes recommend store bought items as well as ingredients that have unique Thedosian counterpart names.

Almond

Antivan Pasta

Apple

Apricot

Bacon

Bacon, Nug

Bark

Barley

Beef

Beetroot

Bell Pepper, red

Bitter Greens - this is a class of salad greens known for their bitter flavor.

Black Lichen - Underground

Blood Orange - Nevarra

Butter

Butter, Halla

Cabbage

Cave Beetles

Celery

Cinammon

Cheese

Cherry

Cherry, black

Cherry, sweet

Chicken

Chickpea - Rivain

Chocolate

Cocoa Powder

Corn, yellow

Corn, checkered

Couscous - Rivain

Crab

Cranberry

Currant

Deep Mushroom, various varieties

Dracolisk - The narrator suggests it being a potential meat in a recipe in Tevinter.

Dried Fruit

Eggs

Fig

Flour, semolina - Rivain

Giant - Suggested that Tevinter might serve giant

Giant Spiders - Underground

Goat

Grape, red

Grape Leaves/Vine Leaves

Grease

Guimauves - Orlesian

Gurgut - Avvar

Heavy Cream

Honey

Jasmine

Mackerel

Mango

Mint

Mussel

Mutton

Lamb

Lamprey

Leek

Lemon

Lemon Juice

Lemon Verbena

Lentil

Lichen

Licorice Root

Lurker - Avvar

Oat

Oil

Onion

Oregano

Pastry Dough

Peanut

Peanut Butter

Peppers, Hot

Peppermint

Plum

Pork

Potato

Prawn - said to have the same texture and flavor as cave beetles.

Puff Pastry - Orlais

Pumpkin

Quillback

Raisin

Raspberry

Rhubarb

Rice - Antiva and Rivain

Salt

Semolina Flour - Rivain

Shrimp

Snail - Avvar

Spinach

Strawberry

Sugar

Tomato

Turkey

Turnip

Watercress - Avvar

Wheat

Whipped Cream

White Chocolate

Wildflowers

Wyvern - Avvar, Orlais

Charts and Stats

Because I love a good visual rep of data, I collected some stats of the types of food, how many recipes are from where, and the amount of time a character was mentioned.

Types of Food

I did percentages for the course of food as well as the portion of options that are vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, meat based, and alcoholic.

Food Types Stats

These charts show the ingredient percentage in the actual recipes and not the lore blurbs themselves. This is out of 72 recipes with the amount they were used in (-) after their percentage.

Left Hand Chart

Alcohol: 14.6% (27)

Dairy-free: 15.7% (29)

Egg-free: 25.4% (47)

Meat based: 16.2% (30)

Nuts: 3.1% (6)

Shellfish: 2.6% (5)

Vegan: 4.2% (8)

Vegetarian: 20.4% (39)

Top Right Chart

Alcohol: 37.5% (27)

Alcohol-free: 62.5% (45)

Bottom Right Chart

Beef: 11.4% (4)

Chicken: 17.1% (6)

Fish: 17.1% (6)

Lamb: 5.7% (2)

Pork: 28.6% (10)

Shellfish: 14.3% (5)

Turkey: 5.7% (2)

Percentage of Recipe Origins

Anderfels: 1.4%

Antiva: 11%

Avvar: 6.8%

Chasind: 2.7%

City Elves: 2.7%

Dalish: 6.8%

Ferelden: 15.1%

Free Marches: 5.5% Kirkwall: 2.7% Starkhaven: 2.7%

Grey Wardens: 1.4%

Nevarra: 2.7%

Orlais: 13.7%

Orzammar: 9.6%

Rivain: 4.1%

Seheron: 1.4%

Tevinter: 9.6%

Character Mentions

I organized the chart by game and the characters in alphabetical order.

DAO Alistair: 2 Dog: 2 Hero of Ferelden (Cousland): 6 Leliana: 1 Loghain: 1 Morrigan: 1 Sten: 1 Zevran Arainai: 2

DA2 Anders: 2 Bethany: 1 Fenris: 3 Hawke: 1 Isabela: 1 Merrill: 2 Sebastian Vael: 1 Varric: 3

DAI Briala: 1 Bull's Chargers: 2 Cassandra: 2 Celene Valmont: 1 Cole: 2 Cullen: 3 Dorian: 2 Friends of Red Jenny: 1 Gaspard: 1 Josephine: 3 Krem: 2 Sera: 1 Solas: 4 The Iron Bull: 4 Vivienne: 2

Food Courses

I thought it would be interesting to see how the recipe groups totaled out in how much of the book they made.

Drinks: 12.5%

Baked Goods: 13.9%

Sweets: 11.1%

Sides: 5.6%

Starters and Refreshments: 12.5%

Travel Food: 13.9%

Soup and Stew: 11.1%

Main Course: 19.4%

Wanna support this blog? You can check out my ko-fi.

[dragonagitator]

Dragon Age fanfic authors rejoice! You no longer have to stop writing that cooking scene to go research what ingredients would plausibly be available in fantasy medieval Europe.

Something I pre-ordered a very long time ago finally arrived today:

And for those of you who have, like me, been wondering whether cooks in Thedas have access to New World ingredients, the answer is yes:

So I'm going to headcanon that Par Vollen is the culinary equivalent of the Americas in Thedas (since we already know from Iron Bull's banter that they also have cocoa) and that there has been sufficient international trade in agricultural products (probably via Rivain) for potatoes and other New World staple crops to be grown in southern Thedas.

[afinickyguide]

episode 154: peasant bread 🫴🍞💕

bonus burnt as hell bread using the originally listed bake time/temp 😔💔

[thedinanshiral]

Tastes of Thedas -part I-

The Dragon Age Official Cookbook Tastes of Thedas not only shares with us delicious recipes inspired in the world of Thedas, its many cultures and geography but it also tells us about Devon.

Devon is an adventurer, a Fereldan born to a cook who worked for the Cousland family.

He grew up in the kitchen, nurtured by his mum’s meals and her lectures too but always wanting more, to see the world beyond those walls and all it had to offer. And so he became an adventurer, traveling across Thedas, meeting people and learning about their culture, in particular their cuisine, taking note of everything that he now puts together in a book that is also a love letter to his mum.

The book itself looks very nice, the pictures accompanying the recipes look lovely, colours are vibrant and Devon’s introductions and mentions of various known and beloved characters are something i’d rather leave people read for themselves so i’ll just quickly go over it...in two parts, because i tricked myself with my notes and thought i could type this in one go, but nope, can’t do, “short, quick post” is not in my vocabulary, unfortunately.

Ferelden Potato and Leek Soup

Each recipe in the book comes with a short introduction where Devon shares his personal story with it, where he was, who he met, what he learned, and sometimes he mentions Thedas’ personalities so we get the chance to learn little details about them too.

Through these short texts we can get a glimpse of what version of Thedas Devon lives in: the Hero of Ferelden is a Cousland and travelled with their mabari; Ferelden is ruled by King Alistair, while Orlais is ruled by Empress Celene Valmount I, troubled by her cousin chevalier and her elven handmaid “turned spymaster and lover”. Divine Victoria is former Seeker Cassandra, and it would seem our IRL joke about Sola’s bald head resembling an egg has leaked into the world of Thedas as well but how widespread it is, if at all, or if it’s something Devon heard from people directly connected to the Inquisition that he met on his travels, i couldn’t say.

These introductions also help us learn a bit more about these places in Thedas, both familiar and soon to be, once The Veilguard takes us further north.

While Devon traveled all around known Thedas most of his recipes in this book come from the nations of Ferelden, Orlais and Antiva.

Orlesian cuisine has tons of cream, apparently they like their sweets very, very sweet. They're also known for having creamy soups.

Meanwhile Ferelden is all about the stews, stews are the pillar of Fereldan cuisine, everything can be a stew, they freaking love stews, “heartly, humble and straightforward to make – the three key aspects of any good Fereldan stew”, “a dish so ubiquitous that it’s become almost synonymous with Fereldan cuisine in general”. That and pickled eggs is their go-to cure for nearly everything.

Crow Feed

In Antiva they have a variety of ingredients that make for colorful and interesting dishes, there's olives, truffles, cream, cheese, also various dishes where rice is a key ingredient, as well as dishes that make the most of their proximity to the sea (paella, fish chowder). Of course they have wines and pasta too, with sauces and cheese! Cacio e Pepe is a classic. According to Devon the Antivans do not lack pickpockets, corrupt politicians and leather; they also tend to have multiple courses meals and says “dinner is usually a late-night affair” for them. Antiva also has some sweet treats to offer, namely Treviso energy balls made of peanut butter, oats and dried fruits, and Antivan Apple Grenades, served hot as they resemble the grenades the Antivan Crows use.

Recipes and regions covered in this post include:

From Orlais: Eggs a la Val Foret, Blancmange, Sour cherries in Cream From Ferelden: Pickled eggs, Nettle Soup, King Alistair’s Lamb and Pea Stew, Turnip and Mutton Pie, Fereldan Potato and Leek Soup From Antiva: Crow Feed, Fish chowder, Antivan Gnocchi, Antivan Paella, Cacio e Pepe, Treviso Energy Balls, Antivan Apple Grenada From the Free Marches: Roasted Turkey with Sides

Caracters mentioned include the Hero of Ferelden, Zevran Arainai, Lady Vivienne, Lady Josephine, King Alistair, Sebastian Vael, Solas, Commander Cullen, Divine Victoria, Lady Morrigan, Anders..

In part II i'll cover some from Tevinter, Nevarra, Rivain, the Anderfells and share a few more colorful details about more characters.

[thejabberwokk]

You guys. . The DA cookbook starts of really strong lol.... lolol

[danielnelsen]

there's a lot of dragon age media out there other than the main games. novels & other official books, visual novels, movies & shows... please raise awareness to not spread literally ALL the pdfs and videos around. please be responsible here.

also includes the flash games, ttrpg, and some official dao toolset resources, as well as a timeline with both in-universe dates and release dates (timeline may not be completely up to date at all times, i’m working on it)

update (june 2024):

got a better version of the cookbook, although it’s still not an official one

finally found more installers for adobe air, so now you can play legends on windows, mac, and linux (although for linux it’s the sdk rather than runtime app. it should work, but don’t ask me what to do with it)

added the comic ‘the revelation’ and the unnamed dragon age 2 comic

still looking for:

a proper version of tastes of thedas

that’s literally it. everything else is there, other than the main games and things you can read on the wiki

[felassan]

it looks like quite a few of the Dragon Age 'extended' (books, comics) etc materials are discounted on Amazon at the moment. I don't know if it's a DA-specific thing or a general sale, but anyways, in case this helps anyone:

Dragon Age: The First Five Graphic Novels - $29.99 $23.34 (22% off)

Dragon Age: The World of Thedas Boxed Set - $59.99 $35.99 (40% off)

Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights - $19.99 $13.39 (33% off)

Dragon Age: The Missing - $19.99 $16.00 (20% off)

Dragon Age: The Official Cookbook: Taste of Thedas - $34.99 $23.08 (34% off)

Dragon Age: Wraiths of Tevinter - $39.99 $23.49 (41% off)

Dark Horse Deluxe Dragon Age: World of Thedas Map Puzzle, Multicolor - $19.99 $16.91 (15% off)

Dragon Age: Dark Fortress - $19.99 $17.05 (15% off)

Dragon Age: Blue Wraith - $17.99 $15.59 (13% off)

The Art of Dragon Age: Inquisition - $49.99 $25.49 (49% off)

 Dragon Age: The World of Thedas Volume 1 - $49.99 $29.50 (41% off)

Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker [Blu-ray] - $14.98 $8.00 (47% off)

Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker DVD - $9.98 $6.29 (37% off)

Dragon Age: The World of Thedas Volume 2 - $49.99 $28.62 (43% off)

Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne - $19.99 $15.27 (24% off)

Dragon Age: Asunder: Asunder - $20.99 $12.66 (40% off)

Dragon Age: The Calling - $21.99 $11.69 (47% off)

(still worth checking other outlets though in case you can get them for better prices there, this post isn't meant as a 'this is the cheapest place to get them right now, post, it's just a 'I noticed these were all discounted for whatever reason on Amazon' post).

[dragonagegallery]

Art used in the Dragon Age: Official Cookbook: Tastes of Thedas

[vilnan]

some art from the dragon age: tastes of thedas cookbook

[erikacousland]

Science is real magic, or magic is quick science…

One of my daily silly handcanon:

The Circle mages using alchemy create composite and synthetic materials and selling items that made from them in their shops like Wonders of Thedas. These items are expensive but convenient, loved by adventurers.

Consider they are using Kupilka bowls (KUPILKA 33?) in Taste of Thedas, I take it is a official canon now. :P

Merrill's Blood Soup, Fereldan Potato and Leek Soup from Dragon Age: The Official Cookbook: Taste of Thedas

[juliabenerdy]

Dragon Age Fans Assemble!

Dragon Age: The Official Cookbook: Taste of Thedas https://a.co/d/ciqPNT3

I opened my Amazon app and squeaked!

[exhausted-archivist]

Art Used in the Dragon Age: Official Cookbook: Tastes of Thedas Part Two

Here is Part 1

This contains the images that I didn't notice weren't uploaded as well, all of them new art save for two: Concept Art of Sera Storytelling, and a Nug.

Additionally this too will also have the recipe and page number associated. There are a total of 16 images included here. I was pulling these from the kindle version and when I did a double check of everything I noticed that they didn't have the table of contents spread on the kindle and had scan the images that were missing or cutoff by the nature of the kindle layout.

Dragon Long: Title Page, p. 2-3

Dish of Cherries: Table of Contents, p. 4

Bird Pitcher: Table of Contents, p. 5

World of Thedas Dragon Art: Introduction, p. 6

Bowl and Spoon: Crab Caked from Kirkwall, p. 23

Bowl: Table of Contents, p. 5, Teviso Energy Balls, p. 123

Plate: Fried Young Giant Spider, p. 15

Cocktail Glass: Cave Beetles, p. 27

Winged Cup: Peasant Bread, p. 49

Cookpot: Potato and Leeks, p. 55

Fork and Knife: Fish Pocket, p. 39

Geometric Starburst: Snail and Watercress Salad, p. 25

Table Cutlery: Section Dividers on pages: 9, 29, 51, 69, 101, 111, 129, 153

Dragon: Dragon Piss, p. 163

Sera Storytelling: Lichen Ale, p. 155

Nug: Nug Bacon and Egg Pie, p. 87, Golden Nug, p. 167

Something I want to note, is that not all of these art pieces match up with their dish thematically, regionally, or culturally. But almost all of the tableware such as plates, platters, cups, and one of the bowls have detailing that evokes the thought of crows or birds in general which is interesting.

[andrastesknickerweasel]

With the blight dragging on and no Grey Wardens to be found, forcing us to social distance, I’ve little choice but to sample the rich and varied cuisine of Thedas from my own kitchen.  Each week I will aspire to prepare a recipe from the fan made Dragon Age Cookbook “In Pursuit of Porridge” (available here).  The recipe will be chosen at random to keep things interesting.  Please feel free to join me and post any recipes you make.  If you use the tags #Dragon Age Cooking Club or #DA Cooking Club and/or tag me I’ll add your culinary creation to the Master Post!

For the first week we have a recipe from the Free Marches: Strawberry Rivaini Dip!  

That’s right, it’s inexplicably guacamole with strawberries!  Don’t ask me why.  Those Marchers are a crazy bunch.

Difficulty: 1/5.  We couldn’t have started with anything easier, just chopping and mixing up a few things.

Ingredient cost/accessibility: 1/5. Nothing too crazy here, just produce and tortilla chips, of which I got the off brand.

Taste: 2/5.  It’s not terrible, but it’s not... good?  To be fair I’m no guacamole connoisseur.  I’m still occasionally eating a chip, so it’s definitely more edible than I was expecting.  The strawberries make a surprisingly competent replacement for tomato.  Still would have rather just had tomato though.

Suggested pairing: something light and summery, preferably alcoholic so you can forget that it isn’t the greatest tasting.  Light ale or a margarita maybe?

Suggested pairing: Varric/Bianca or Sera/Inquisitor.  It’s definitely pub appetizer food, so someone who lives in a pub would probably be down with it.

[afinickyguide]

episode 135: honey carrots 🍯🥕🌿

[afinickyguide]

episode 149: unidentified meat 🍗❓🤨