Cuisine
Rabbit with prumes and raisins
Cembria's natural larder of game, dairy, fish, fruit, and vegetables is the integral factor in traditional cooking, with a high reliance on simplicity and a lack of spices from abroad, which were often very expensive. The potato eventually formed the basis of many traditional dishes after its introduction in the 16th century. Cembria is famous for its many meat, poultry and game dishes such as rabbit with prumes, raisins and apple, roast venison and roast pheasant. It also has several regional varieties, including Elsish and Camerian cuisine, which each have developed their own regional or local dishes, many of which are geographically defined.
Modern Cembrian cuisine is a style of cooking which fully emerged in the late 1970s, and has become increasingly popular. It uses high-quality local ingredients, preparing them in ways which combine traditional recipes with modern innovations. It is not generally a nostalgic movement, although there are some efforts to re-introduce pre-20th-century recipes. Ingredients not native to the islands, particularly herbs and spices, are frequently added to traditional dishes (echoing the highly spiced nature of much Cembrian food in the medieval era).
Modern Cembrian cuisine is a style of cooking which fully emerged in the late 1970s, and has become increasingly popular. It uses high-quality local ingredients, preparing them in ways which combine traditional recipes with modern innovations. It is not generally a nostalgic movement, although there are some efforts to re-introduce pre-20th-century recipes. Ingredients not native to the islands, particularly herbs and spices, are frequently added to traditional dishes (echoing the highly spiced nature of much Cembrian food in the medieval era).
Apple within Cembrian Gastronomy
The apple (malus domestica) is a national symbol, and thus has earned a special status within Cembrian society and gastronomy. It is not only appreciated as a fruit, but it is also a key ingredient in many traditional national and regional dishes and beverages. Pastries such as apple cake and apple pie are very popular in south and central Cembria. Beverages such as common apple juice, apple tea and even a great variety of apple brandies are well appreciated throughout the country. Apples are particularly cultivated in the southeast of the mainland, where many farmers have additional apple orchards aside their crop-containing fields.
Traditional Beverages
Pure Malt Whisky is Cembria's official national beverage but next to its whisky, the country is familiar with additional regional beverages. Much of these beverages such as Cambremer (apple brandy) and St. Wilkes (Trappist dark ale) are nowadays well known throughout the nation and even beyond its borders.