Travellers Stew has been a staple for hungry adventurers and merchants everywhere, hearty broth of weeproot and tuberroots blend well with the mixed food found on a journey. The ingredient that makes this stew unique is the added basiloc and rosemint, which together can lend strength and health to any tired wanderer. This versatile stew can be changed to add any number of different vegetables and meat that the cook has on hand. The stew can be eaten as a dinner or just a small cup to warm a lonely hermit in the morning.

Picture description. A bowl of delicious Travellers Stew. Image by Bard Judith.

Description. The stew is thick in consistency, filled with chopped tuberroots, weeproot, and orange root. Meats like mutton or beef lend the broth a strong aroma. The basiloc and rosemint add a minty tang to the stew, the robust flavour produced by this combination is a welcome taste to a hungry person. Travellers Stew is served hot, to chase away the cold of night in winter. Various spices make the eyes water and smart, and lend flavour to old vegetables. A stale chunk of loibl bread can be served with it, the broth softens and lends flavor to a long gone loaf. Depending on what the cook has to work with the stew can have any number of ingredients giving each meal a unique touch.

Usages/Effects. Travellers Stew can be served anywhere and is easy to prepare, even the most horrible of cooks cannot destroy the simple flavours of a good stew. It warms the bones of a guard after dark and braces a simple family for the coming winter. After a hard day's work a bowl of stew can return strength to wearied arms. Tired adventurers can whip together a hearty meal with ease, and sleep with warmth in their bellies.

Origin of the Food. It is unknown who first dubbed the hearty dinner eaten by many for hundreds of years "Travellers Stew", but the meal has been in existence since the first stew pot. The rudimentary blending of easily grown vegetables with the first tamed beasts has been consumed by people of many races. Each of the races add their own special flair to the dish, cooks use what they have on hand to make it unique but still tied to the original by the peculiar taste of rosemint and basiloc.

Hobbits often claim that they made the original dish ans the shire has its own variation of the stew. When cooked in the shire Travellers Stew is foo for many people. A family gathering requires a massive pot of medlarapple stew as it is know there. The hobbits use a strong medlarapple broth to marinade the meat in. Once the meat is tender the hobbits cook the stew with the broth. Lending a delicious favor to their stews. The hobbits also add certain spices and vegetables like pease to the stew but the true recipe is closely guarded.

Method of Preparation. The following receipt was provided to the author by Hubert Greengrove on a recent stay at the Lorehold in Lorehaven:

Start a modest fire, when the heat is hot enough to boil water put a stew pot over the flames. Cube your tuberroots, weeproots, caroots, and any other vegetables you can use and set aside. Cut mutton, beef or other meat into cubes, put into pot and brown. Let as much fat as you can come out of the meat, when meat is almost brown add onions and stir until the meat if brown all the way through. Fill the pot with water or stock and add vegetables. Dice the basiloc and rosemint and add to the pot. Put in any spices you want to. Boil for a bit and raise it higher from the flames so it can simmer. Wait one hour, stirring every once in a while. When the tuberroots are soft the stew is done and you can enjoy. Feeds eight hungry travellers or a single well fed hobbit.

Importance. Travellers Stew provides a cheap and easy meal for any hungry person, wherever they may be. As many an adventurer has learned, a long journey is not complete without a few bowls of Travellers Stew.

19th Fallen Leaf 1669 a.S. Information provided by Foraste Lydan