Volume 1, Chapter 7: I considered food development in another world.
First of all, Japan did not have refrigerators until 60, 70 years ago. People had to preserve their food by drying it or pickling it in salt. Fermented food that is key to Japanese cuisine like miso, soy sauce, natto, etc. was born from that necessity.
However, this world has magic tools. In terms of food preservation, refrigerators and freezers were developed early on and therefore took away the need and opportunity to preserve food in other ingenious ways.
These are all my conjectures, but it seems quite accurate after cross checking with the history of magic tool development with Gil. It is nice to have convenience, but there are wonderful things that are borne of inconvenience too.
The main dish of the Claude family became pasta after they tried it yesterday. The maids learned how to make it and had been diligently helping ever since. However, I would soon be sick of pasta if I had to eat it every day. That is why today, I’m going to make yeast so we can have fluffy bread.
“Miss Risa, I shall help you today as well.”
“Mary, you really don’t have to do this every day. I’m sure you’re very busy too…”
“No, please allow me! It might be a little pushy to say I am helping you, but everything you make is so delicious I would really love to learn by your side.”
“It’s not pushy at all! You’re a huge help! I would love to have you around.”
Mary is going to be my assistant today as well. She already has a white apron over her simple maid uniform and is very excited to learn. I couldn’t help but smile at how cute she was while I rummaged through the ingredients.
I found an apple-like fruit while taste testing the ingredients yesterday. Its name is Lir, and it tastes like oranges. I’ll be making yeast from this.
“Mary, today we’re making yeast.”
“Yeast, miss?”
“Yes. Yeast is used to make bread. Compared to the bread in my world, though, the bread here is so hard.” freewebnov(e)l
“You did say something like that before.”
“Bread needs a leavening agent to grow fluffy, and that is the yeast that we’ll be making.”
“I can’t even begin to imagine fluffy bread, but it must be delicious if Miss Risa makes it!”
Thanks to the food that I’ve made so far, Mary seemed to have very high hopes for the fluffy bread that I would make. Her eyes glimmered with anticipation and she chittered excitedly.
“Let’s start, then.”
“Yes, miss!”
First I readied a glass jar that I sterilized by boiling. I pushed some sliced and peeled lir into the jar so there would not be any space between slices. Then I added a tablespoon of honey, some cooled boiled water, and closed the jar with a cork lid.
“We’re done.”
“Eh? That’s it, miss?”
Mary raised her voice in confusion.
“I guess saying we’re done is a little misleading. We’re done with preparations. We just have to leave this alone, but before that…Mary, where is the warmest room in the mansion?”
“Warmest? Hmm, I believe that would be the sunroom…”
“Let’s go there, then.”
Still full of questions at my extraordinary request, Mary guided me to the sunroom. It was a lovely day, and the sunroom was quite warm. The walls were glass, so you could see the rest of the garden or even leave the mansion via the wooden deck.
“May I use this table?”
“Yes, of course.”
There was a table set, perhaps for drinking tea. I placed the glass jar on the table and covered it with a cloth so the sun would not shine directly on it.
“Now we just have to mix it with the air every day and it’ll be done in a few days.”
“Uhm, Miss Risa, are you perhaps thinking of leaving this here?”
“Yes, I am.”
“What!? It will go bad, miss!”
Mary exclaimed in surprise.
“Hehe. Now now, Mary. Just think of it as a little surprise to look forward to.”
“I…see…”
The people in this world probably think fermentation equals decomposition. Despite her textbook reaction, the incredulous Mary agreed to watch over the jar for now.
The next day, Mary and I went to the sunroom.
I took away the covering cloth and opened the lid. There was a quiet hiss, as if I were opening a can of soda. free(w)ebnov(e)l
“Mary, try smelling this.”
I held it out to her after checking the smell myself.
“Oh? What is this? It smells quite different from lir.”
“Yes. This is not the smell of rot, but of fermented yeast. It has only been a day so it is hard to see, but the yeast will be finished when there are more bubbles. It will probably take…maybe two, three more days.”
Mary seemed relieved that it was not rotten, but she blinked, completely in the dark on how the bubbles could be used.
A few days passed.
We could finally make fluffy bread. The yeast was cultivated properly, but I was still a little worried that it might not grow as much as I liked.
With Mary as my side as always, I began to make bread. Mary knew how to make rock hard bread, so she was very confused by the first and second resting during breadmaking, but her suspicions were quickly dispelled by the wafting smell from the oven and the golden brown, puffy bread. Mary and I tried a piece each, and we both sighed in tandem—I from relief, Mary from wonderment.
“I was wondering how you would use yeast, but I never thought it would puff the dough up like that.”
“It’s magic the first time, isn’t it?”
Mary finished her bread in no time and exclaimed, “Let’s hurry and let the masters have some, too!” She bustled around the kitchen preparing for the meal. Urged on by Mary, we had an earlier meal than usual.
The menu of the day was bread with minestrone soup, herb toto, and a steamed salad.
“What’s the meal today, Risa?”
Gil accompanied Tasia into the dining room. The two sat in their usual seats and looked at the food with surprise.
“Risa! Could this be…”
Tasia looked at me, her eyes glittering with anticipation.
“Yes, this is the bread of my world.”
Actually, the couple had wanted to try the bread of my world ever since I told them about it. The day had finally come where I could answer their wishes.
After giving thanks, the two took the bread in their hands.
“Whoa!”
“It’s so soft!”
Surprised by the unfamiliar texture, they spent some time enjoying the bounciness and softness of the bread.
“It’s easier to eat if you tear off a bite-sized piece.”
They only grew more surprised as they followed my lead in tearing off a piece and putting it in their mouths.
“…”
They slowly tasted the bread. My initial anxiety towards their silence was blown away as their faces bloomed with joy. Although the bread I made was miles away from bread you would see in bakeries, it was still on another level compared to the rock hard bread they usually ate.
“This is bread!?”
“How fluffy! It has a slight sweetness to it, and is absolutely wonderful!”
The two began giving their thoughts as soon as they inhaled their bread. I couldn’t understand all of it as they talked over each other, but I could tell they were showering it with praises. I was really happy to see them eat with such gusto and smile from ear to ear. It seems good food will put smiles on faces no matter where you go.
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