Dieting is a funny thing and I’m having a time of it, so I’m waiting out the cravings while also fighting my need to touch grass.
So what would Orgrimmar serve as desserts and snacks? Even being the hub of trade for the Horde, there’s precious little within the surrounding regions for sweet snacks or delicacies, and what is there is going to be somewhat difficult to produce in mass quantities, so these are going to be some off-the-top-of-my-noggin thoughts.
1) Cactus fruits:
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These are pretty much the low-hanging fruit of the thread, pun intended, and also the easiest to mass produce for the Horde. Prickly Pears and Dragon Fruit are both types of cactus fruits and would likely serve as the most common type of fruit to grace the tables of Orgrimmar and the Echo Isles. Ripe Prickly Pears can just be twisted off the plant, presumably while wearing thick gloves, and then ‘de-spined’ by using a set of tongs to hold the fruit over an open fire and burn off the spines, and then skinned to gain access to the fruit inside. However, the fruit is thick with seeds that, while safe to ingest, are hard enough to shatter teeth if you try to eat them. They can be removed, lightly roasted and then ground into a flour-like substance that can be used to make bread. The flesh of the fruit is sweet and tasty, but comes in a small quantity considering the volume of flesh-to-seed of the fruit, and given the Horde’s size and capacity, is likely rendered into a semi-fluid state while procuring the seeds both for replanting and flour-making, meaning that most Prickly Pear ‘desserts’ in Orgrimmar are likely boiled candies or fruit leathers. The young leaves can be similarly prepared, but are more tart than sweet, and are an excellent source of vitamin c and magnesium, and can be used quite readily as fodder for herbivorous animals ones despined.
Furthermore, the types of cactus that produce Prickly Pears are also the same type of cactus that are also host to parasites known as ‘scale insects’ that produce a type of acid that makes them unpleasant to eat, which in turn can be used to create, you guessed it, red dye. And if there’s one thing the Horde likes, it is red, painted all over all of their stuff.
The second fruit, the Dragon Fruit, comes from a different type of cactus and lacks the spines, and oddly enough share a very close similarity to Dragon Eggs, overlapping ‘petals’ ending in ‘spikes’ forming the outer layer of the fruit, which gives way to white or bright pink flesh speckled with small black seeds inside. Dragon fruit can be eaten raw, chilled, turned into puddings, sweet salsa and baked into pies. They’re also a good source of both calcium and vitamin c, and the both ‘husks’ and the flowers can be turned into, you guessed it, more red dye. The flowers in particular can be brewed as a tea that has anti-inflammatory properties.
2) Honeypot Ants:
Honestly, given the environment of Orgrimmar and the surrounding regions, colonies of ants are likely in the Barrens, Durotar and even the drier parts of Azshara. Given the ease at which ant colonies can be encouraged to inhabit an area, farming of Honeypot Ants would give the Orcs, Tauren and Trolls a valuable, if small, supply of honey for use as both a dish and medicinal ingredient. It should be noted, however, the Honeypot Ant ‘honey’ is far more of a fluid than the gooey honey we’re used to from Bees, and is less sweet, sometimes with a bitter after-taste if one eats the ant along with the abdomen, or if the hive has been consuming meat in addition to the pollen and nectar that the hives normally live on.
While it would be difficult to ‘mass produce’ Honeypot Ant honey, it would be possible to ‘encourage’ wild hives to form in specific areas by artificially creating large amounts of suitable flowering plants and even creating sugar-water ‘feeders’ for the hives. Sugar-water in this case would likely be made of a watered-down and partially dehydrated form of fruit pulp left near the hive for the Honeypot Ants to gather and feed to the sterile members of the hive born to assume the role of living larder, and every so often, a hive would be dug up and harvested for its honey. Given the location, the artificially-enhanced abundance and the presence of large and angry Orcs ready to beat any local predators within an inch of their lives if they go near the hives, the local Honeypot Ant populations would likely recover in a matter of weeks from a harvesting, but would likely require up to six months to recover and be able to supply a new harvest.
Actual, true honey likely comes from wild hives in and around Mulgore, and after their joining likely apiarists from Lordaeron, Quel’thalas and even Pandaria probably has their own version, although considering the size of the wasps over there, being a Pandarian apiarist is likely a far more hazardous profession than you’d think. Thankfully they also have more normal, smaller hives present as well.
3) Witchetty Grubs and Boab Trees:
Found in small, woody bushes and trees, the humble Witchetty grub is a meal in and of itself, tasting like almonds when raw and, which lightly roasted, like almonds and chicken. While not a sweet treat, they are likely a happy little accident for Orc peons clearing brush and tending to the valuable brush reserves around Orgrimmar, and would likely be eaten on sight or taken back to the Overseer and kept aside to be roasted in the coals of a fire for a brief period before being eaten.
Fun fact, a cooked witchetty grub, lightly brushed with some olive oil and some salt, is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. I’d argue you’d probably find more of these in Azshara and the Barrens than Durotar, but the point stands.
For the mighty Boab trees scattered around Durotar, these are both a valuable source of water, with some older trees in the real world capable of holding upwards of 20,000 gallons, or a 100,000 liters, of water within its trunk, and is a valuable source of shelter during dry spells for the native inhabitants of both Africa and Australia. The fruits in particular are unique because they dry out on the tree for six months before falling in a hardened state, the pulp having dried out into a powdery substance that can remain edible for upwards of 2-3 years, and tastes similar to sherbert, and the bark of the tree can be used to create both medicinal powders and rope once frayed and spun back together.
This has sparked something in me and I’m on a drive to tool around the starting areas of the various races and see if I can’t sus out local cultures and unique creatures or environments that might produce strange or unusual fare.
Have I missed anything or does anything seem odd or off? I’d like to hear your thoughts.