Potatoes

[Lindale]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

I'm not surprised Elves didn't know about taters though. They probably existed on that vile no-carbs Atkins diet, looking at how skinny they were (I wonder if they also had the bad breath?).

Come to think of it, what exactly do Elves eat? We can all see that hobbits eat veggies etc that we are familiar with, taters and strawberries with cream. What about Elves?

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Lindale

Come to think of it, what exactly do Elves eat? We can all see that hobbits eat veggies etc that we are familiar with, taters and strawberries with cream. What about Elves?

Well, at least Gildor's company ate fruit and white bread.

[Lindale]

No, I mean, how did they prepare them? And besides, Gildor's company was travelling, they couldn't prepare food as well as if they were just at home.

[Alfirin]

Originally Posted by Lindale

Come to think of it, what exactly do Elves eat? We can all see that hobbits eat veggies etc that we are familiar with, taters and strawberries with cream. What about Elves?

Well, thanks to the Hobbit, we know they drink wine (at least wood elves do, and it is not unreasonable to assume that Elrond's and Galadriel's elves do as well), as for food, that's a little more ambiguous. Lots of fruit and nuts (in thier seasons) seems to fit with the elves being "closer" to nature than either men or hobbits, and bound in the music. I've always imagined there being a lot of venison as well, but my mind is proably clouded by innumerable images of the "fairy hunt". With thier light silent step and handyness with the bow, elves are however probably incredible hunters and put that skill to use frequently. In fact There is probably little difference in diet between elf and man of comparable means (I say this only beccause there doesn't seem to be an elf pesantry or serf class) except that leves proably relied more on game than domestic animals and probably did not eat as much "processed" food (for the purposes of this argument things pickled, smoked, cured, etc.) (Oh great, now I've got an image of boar and venison smoked over mallorn wood)

On the subject that strated this thread, potatoes are certainly a possiblity, though by no means the only one. If you take the argument that "Middle Earth isn't our earth; any plant could have come from anywhere". The number of plants with edible tubers and or roots that are starch becomes frightening, especailly if the other arguments used by some on this thread is considered valid (that Ist age beleriand had a fairly mild climate). If you dont like the "floury potatoes" idea how about something from the genus Discorea (the true yams) there are a lot of kinds most are floury or bread like and some grow quite large. (I seem to recally something about the roots being fist sized or larger), plus a lot grow in poor soil conditions whis the area around the bald hill might qualify as. other (admittedly less likey possibilites) include sweet potato (would have to be a white variety) oca (a bit too waxy and most of the ones I've seen have been pink, not white) "fairy spuds" (a kind of claytonia found in the eastern US (tastes like chesnuts, but we dont know what kind of bread Turin and Co were used to, and chesnut flour is pretty common in some parts of Europe) or a gigantic form of chufa groundnut (Cyperus esculus I think, it's a kind of sedge). There is even a subspecies of domestic vetch found in parts of France, (Vicia sativa var. subterrenea) that produces edible tubers. One second (checks online references) No wait, never mind that doesn't produce tubers it produces cleistomagous flowers that make subterrenian seeds, (like a peanut), sorry about that.)