kscans

Chapter 224 - # A Guide to Earth-Style Cooking 4. Pickle Discussion (Part 2)

When pickling sauerkraut or cucumber pickles, if you add the leaves of tannin-rich plants such as oak, cherry, grape, or horseradish, you can maintain a crisp texture. It is also said that minerals such as calcium and magnesium found in coarse sea salt can cross-link and strengthen the pectin in the cell walls. Yuri knew this from his previous life, but it seemed to be unknown knowledge in this world, at least in this area. Yuri, having learned this through a conversation with Old Man Audel, had already relayed this information to End Village. Baron Darren had warned him not to spread information about crops too widely, but this fell more into the category of cooking. It should be fine to teach it to Mand.

"Also, as a variation, it seems you can also pickle them with sugar mixed in, or with apples and cranberries, or even by adding sweet white wine."

Mand's eyes went wide as he heard this for the first time.

"You mentioned that it was too salty, but there are ways of pickling that are not for the purpose of long-term preservation, but simply as a type of dish. It's called light pickling, and it's a method where you soak the vegetables in a seasoned liquid for a short time... For leafy vegetables, not only does the moisture decrease and the flavor become concentrated, but the volume is also reduced, making it easier to consume a large amount. Also, since it doesn't involve fermentation, the color of the vegetables doesn't fade and become unsightly."

"Well... that's..."

"As a drawback... um... due to insufficient fermentation, E. coli... small living creatures can survive without being killed, and eating them can upset your stomach. ...So, it would be best to wash the vegetable ingredients well and then store them in a Magic Bag for a while."

"I see..."

Mand seemed completely taken aback, but Yuri's talk continued.

"Oh, and I'll tell you this as well. I've heard there's a dish where fruits are pickled in a mustard-flavored sugar syrup. I haven't eaten this one myself, though... Oh, and it seems that in the old days, they used to pickle them in grape juice and flavor them with honey and mustard."

It was something called mostarda di frutta in Italy, and it was traditionally served as an accompaniment to the Christmas feast. Yuuri from his previous life had never eaten it, but he had seen it introduced on television, so he knew of it as a piece of information.

"Well, we'll have to actually make them and try them out, so I don't know how many of the things I just mentioned will actually work out, you know."

"R-Right..."

"Vegetables are good for beauty and health, so I'd like to eat them more proactively."

"Heeh... is that so."

...At that moment, a person who happened to be passing by outside the kitchen couldn't help but perk up their ears, a fact that neither Yuri nor Mand noticed.

.........

That night, in the master's bedroom of the mansion...

"What? Yuri-kun said such a thing?"

"Yes. It's been proven that Yuri-san's vegetables are good for beauty and rejuvenation, but if even ordinary vegetables have some effect..."

"Hmm... It might serve as a good reason for why the women of our household have become more beautiful..."

"For us as well, we must definitely try this..."

"...Understood. It will have to be after we try this mayonnaise thing, but I will consult with Yuri-kun and Mand."

This was a snippet of conversation between the Adon couple.