A Treatise on Hälmarian Cheeses and Teas.
By Master Cheesemaker Iohann Gustaf Lindberg and Master Archivist of the Hälmar Tea Association Christian Terrson Berg.
CHEESES
The Hälmarian way of making cheese is much alike the normal way, but the quality of the cheese comes from the goats and cows from which the milk has been taken from. These animals have been breeded by countless generations to provide an unrivaled variety of tastes and textures. The hardy grasses in Nordland provide incredibly mature cheeses, with those in the ice caves near the Cheefsoborg Glacier, which provide a unique texture and maturity unrivalled. The Hälmarian and Berthe grasses often provide a medium or strong maturity to the cheeses, and the Bermianese grasses mainly provide a soft and stringy texture. All of these add to the great skill of the Hälmarian Cheesemakers.
LIGHT CHEESES
Manor (Magnortroppentein) Cheese
A sweet, light cheese made from cow's milk, it is rarely eaten in the Hälmarian Army and is normally eaten as a snack in the homeland. Its alternative name comes from the inventor, the 3rd Count of Magnortroppentein.
Gorvennian Cheese
A light, easily spread cheese made from goat's milk. Often served with crackers in Hälmarian Cheese and Tea Houses. Every village, town or city in the Hälmar Union has at least one of these Cheese and Tea Houses.
Mottafremianberg "Old Fransaborg" Cheese
Similar to Mozzarella, this cheese, originating from the village of Mottafremian, under the Mottafremianberg, is a semi-soft cow's cheese using Bermianese cheese. Famous as the staple diet of the Fransaborg Garrison, keeping them alive and letting them live through every siege they have gone through.
Brungotten Cheese
A brownish semi-soft cheese originating from Northern Hälmar, and is occasionally used as a substitute for butter. Often melted and used in cheese in toast. When it melts, it turns yellowy-orange. Official Cheese of the 55th Regiment (Nythander) of Foot (Brungotten's).
Karenböthen Cheese
A creamy cheese that after a long time solidifies to an incredibly hard texture that originates from the Berthe-Nordland border. It is a popular cheese among the White Wolves, descendants of Nords and Nordic mercenaries.
MEDIUM CHEESES
Hälmarian Cheddar (Hälcheddaren)
The Hälmarian version of Cheddar, it varies in texture and maturity depending upon the region. Can vary from semi-hard to hard, and is a popular cheese. Often eaten by the Army due to how easy it is to produce and its popularity among troops.
Blue Ostferren
An adaptation of a Swadian Cheese, this strong cheese is produced on the borders of the lands of Hälmar, Berthe and Nordland. This border cheese is popular among the younger Hackapell Regiments. This cheese's amount of holes and size of holes varies, so it can have few holes or can be peppered with medium sized holes. The amount and size of holes depend on how it is produced, and variates from cheesemaker to cheesemaker.
Caccitridestom Cheese
After the Eridanian Republic declared war on Hälmar, the Hälmarians swept down and captured the eastern territories of the Republic with its newly reformed army, with the full might of the nobility's knights and new musket technology. Hälmar made peace, and allied with Eridania after offering some land from the Alma Mater and from the Republic of Zena, newly captured from the Laurians and their Bermianese protectorates. Since then, relations between the two nations have improved, especially after the ports burgeoning trade from Haelmarian colonies in the New World.
Hälmarian and Eridanian Auxilliary Skirmishers are known to prefer this unique cheese from Eridania which is semi-hard and has the unique Bermianese texture mixed with strong Haelmarian milk.
Livebernian Cheese
This blue cheese is stringy but strong, and is the favourite cheese of Southern Nord-Berthe Dragoon Regiments. This easily produced cheese was originally the staple diet of the fledgling colonies in the New World.
Berjägarethänen Cheese
The cheese of the Berthe Jägers, this is quite a substantial cheese for a Berthe cheese, is said to improve accuracy while shooting with Jäger rifles after eating it. This cheese is in theory a Cheddar as it uses the Cheddaring process. This never has been proved, but the Berthe Jägers are known to fight much better after eating this cheese. Its unique process involves hammering it several times with a Jäger Rifle's stock by a drunk Sergeant-Major and then being buried underground for a long time in Northern Haelmar, as well as the standard Cheddaring process.
HARD CHEESES
Vällterbootethen (Västerboot) Cheese
This cheese is a hard cheese that takes at least a year to age. It is also similar to Cheddar. Originally from the Central Hälmarian town of Vällterbootethen, the Calradians from the Hälmar Union's territories in Calradia called it after the capital of Hälmarian power in Calradia, and the capital of the province, Västerboot.
Jaemtlander Cheese
This hard cheese is popular among the Union's Merchant Navy and Merchants due to its thickness and long preservation time. Named after the island city of Jaemtland, it is notable for its bitterness due to the soil of the island. One of the staple diets of Hälmar's formidable Navy. Often melted, popular cooks in the Navy melt the cheese to make a cheese sauce on special occasions.
Norderennen Cheese
This strong and hard Nordic Cheese is very popular among the Nordic regiments and is wide spread among the armed forces due to its resilience against nature and sword cuts. It is not a crumbly cheese so pieces don't fall off or drop off like in the creamy cheeses. These cheeses are just blocks of cheese with very few holes in them, unlike some other Nordic cheeses.
Cheefsoborg Cheese
This cheese, a variation of the Norderennen Cheese, is the Official Cheese of Jarl Furgilforson's Maelstrom Company and is named after the Glacier near the ice caves where the hardly cows and goats that produce this cheese chew on the unique grass to make this unique texture and maturity. Its quality is unrivalled. Although this cheese can be expensive at times, most of the time it is easy to purchase, though at higher prices than the other cheeses. A good Cheefsoborg is said to require an axe to slice a piece off. It is normally eaten cut from the wheel, not melted or spread like other cheeses.
TEAS
Tea was brought back from the New World after a Hälmarian Fleet captured a Laurian Treasure Fleet, bringing back a wierd plant, which the Hälmarians named tea. They found that when they boiled some water in a pot with the leaves in, and after drinking the concoction the Hälmarians found it pleasing, not to mention that it was actually quite warm. The Hälmar Tea Association was formed to create new blends of tea and to expand on this subject. The Hälmarians found that surprisingly, it grew in their lands, and so grew the tea plants everywhere.
Every soldier had a few tea leaves in their haversack or pack; every General a case in his baggage; every family some chests in their house; every warehouse crates of the leaves. Tea was often drunk with cheese; and so an enterprising Hälmarian set up a Public House where Tea and Cheese was sold; these "T&C" houses were where people met up with some cups of tea and a plate of cheese to discuss matters in a friendly way in the morning and afternoon. The Hälmarians still drank alcohol of course, mead, brandy, ale and beer still being popular, of course, but Commanders prefered their troops to drink tea: for one, soldiers who had drunk a lot of tea were less likely to cause a nuisance than a drunkard.
LIGHT TEAS
Earl Grey
A tea with a distinctive flavour and aroma that is derived from the addition of oil extracted from the rind of the bergamot orange, imported from the New World. Popular among Knights, it is spurned by most of the army, navy, lower and middle classes.
Knromen Tea
A similar tea that has hints of apples and pears instead of orange. It is grown in an apple and pear orchard. Not really that popular.
Rontoff Tea
Normal Hälmarian tea that is blended with melted Karenböthen Cheese to make a creamy tea.
MEDIUM TEAS
Hälmarian Tea
Standard Hälmarian Tea, that is the most commonly consumed tea.
Pätharnopten
A Berthe tea that is often served with one of the famous of Berthe cheeses, Berjägarethänen Cheese.
Melenarthen
A tea that originates from the city of Närke, this blended tea has hints of cheese and red meat.
STRONG TEAS
"Powder" Tea
Standard Hälmarian tea mixed with Gunpowder. Often consumed by musketeers without knowing, as the tea leaves are often stored in their cartridge pouches. Has a brittle and acrid texture.
Strongthenaarm
A smoky tea that is treated next to smoking charcoal fires. Often consumed by charcoal makers and woodsmen.
