Culinary traditions in Middle Earth

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by eowyntje

I am still searching for any food hobbits ate

So far in the 'lotr' I've found records of hobbits eating: patatoes, rabbits, herbs, mushrooms, carrots, cabigages, bread, corn, appels, honey, wine, beer, and pipeweed.

And in 'the Hobbit' I found: tea, cake, gingerbread, coffee, port, buter, applepie, raspberryjam, cheese, lettuce, pork, eggs, chicken, tomatoes.

I have of course not found out all that is said about the eating-behaviour of hobbits jet, but it seems quite clear that hobbits must have had an extensive trade-network to get all these things, as there is no climate in which they can all be produced.
Also, I think the mentioning of cheese in 'the hobbit' makes clear that hobbits had acces to milk and beef. (wether they ate it is another thing)

All of those things would be able to be produced in the English climate, apart from pipeweed which I would certainly be growing outdoors if I could! Though it may be possible to grow it indoors under UV lights? Not that I shall try that as the police helicopter with its thermal imaging cam might think I am growing something else! I couldn't imagine Tolkien, a committed smoker, leaving out the joys of tobacco for his Hobbits.

Coffee might have been chicory coffee, which was extremely common here until recently; I believe coffee can also be made from acorns and hazelnuts? I have colleagues who grow tomatoes on their windowsills at work, and my father once grew some in his porch; and grapes do grow outdoors in the warmer parts of England.

I think Tolkien noticed that tobacco, potatoes and tomatoes were an 'anachronism' but he happily left them in.

Meat would not necessarily have been so hard to come by if we are going to equate The Shire with late Victorian/Edwardian England. But people would have eaten many more cuts of meat than we would find palatable today - things like brawn (brains), offal, tongue, trotters, oxtail, black pudding (mmmm.....), tripe etc. As my grandfather used to say, the only part of a pig you cannot eat is the squeak. Sorry to any veggies out there. In fact, game, beef, pork and mutton/lamb would have been much more common than would chicken; I understand that when my dad was young the only time you got chicken was when one of the hens died, and then you'd have 'old hen pie'. Sometimes they would allow the males to grow a little and eat them too, as there was less need for cockerels, obviously.

Fish would have been a regular meal. Historically, fish ponds were found all over the English countryside as a regular and easy to maintain and catch supply of food. Maybe the rivers in The Shire would also have been teeming with freshwater shrimp and crayfish too.

I like the way the Hobbits are excited to find wild mushrooms growing, as even though mushrooms are easy to cultivate (they could be grown in the darker rooms of smials!) there is nothing like the taste of field mushrooms, and the locations where they can be found are usually a locally guarded secret.