Many ask: what is the source of the military successes of the orcs of the Grey Mountains. Is it their legendary stoicism, the strength of their arms or the squabbling of their neighbors? It is none of these things, it is the potato. The rocky terrain around the orcish stronghold of Hoth Achaar (26.01) is poor farmland, orcware is sturdy but has difficulty competing with the make of elves and dwarves and the men of the freeholds are loath to sell the orcs meat and grain. The only thing that keeps the orcish warriors fed are the fields of potatoes that ring Hoth Achaar, which grow great yields even in the stony mountain soil.
The orcs preserve them by freezing them in the cold night air and then heating them on the mountain rocks by day to remove the ice crystals. In this way the sky and the underworld are both respected and all water is removed, leaving the potatoes wrinkled and light. This is the main campaigning food of orcish warriors but when at home the people of Hoth Achaar far prefer orcish pies.
These pies are great round cornmeal pastries stuffed with boiled potatoes, meat scraps and gravy, chunks of boiled egg and pungent spices. The demand for them is great enough that they are also baked in the Sundial Inn (25.04) and elsewhere, although Regulus Verlime grumbles that they are the only bit of orcish culture that has any merit.
Hooks
- Where else is orcish pie sold?
- What meat does the pies contain?