Cuisine of Nouvelle Alexandrie

New Alexandrian cuisine refers to the culinary and dietary practices in the Federation of Nouvelle Alexandrie. It is diverse due to its geographic separation of its Apollonian, Euran and Keltian territories, as well as the different ethnic groups, but shares several common culinary traditions. Staple foods are mostly bread, potatoes, rice, quinoa, corn, and meat, mostly beef and pork. Common drinks include milk and coffee, while there is also a large wine and chicha culture.

Meal Structures

A pan con tomate, a popular breakfast dish.

Breakfast

The traditional breakfast of most Nouvelle Alexandrie households consists of pan con tomate (toasted bread served with olive oil, tomatoes, and sometimes pesto), cakes (often magdalenas), cold cuts, and fruits. Jam and cheese are also popular during breakfast. It is often accompanied by milk or coffee. Serving times differ a bit between etnic groups, with Aldurians serving it between 7:00 and 7:30, while the Wechua have it as late as 8:30. Minority groups, such as the Jingdaoese, are known for having breakfast no later than 6:15. Bovinists are forbidden, by religious practice, to consume pork meat, which is why they often serve breakfast without cold cuts. Chocolate con churros, a popular dish with chocolate drink and churros, is also popular in Santander. The corn dough dish known as tamales is the most popular across the nation. Meat sandwiches are also popular, especially in Wechua, with the khuchi aycha t’anta, served with onions and sweet potatoes; or the butifarra, a cold sandwich with seasoned ham and onions. Chicharrón de chancho, boiled pork, is also popular.

Lunch

The lunch is served around 2:00 to 3:00 pm, and is considerably large. It is often served with two or three courses. The first course is often soup, with gazpacho most popular among them. This is often accompanied by a light luncheon salad. The main course is either a meat or fish dish, most often beef loin. On the Islands, fish dishes, favorite among them cod and tuna, are more popular than meat. The lunch desserts are diverse, are differ between ethnic groups: Aldurians often have sweet desserts, heavily using custard, with crème brûlée and flans being the most popular; while the Wechua often have savoury desserts, often using sweet potatoes such as in truchas. At lunch, people often drink coffee or wine.

Famous main courses include bistec a lo pobre, popular in Wechua, which is steak with fries, onions, and fried eggs; multiple rice dishes, which is called arroz, such as the pollo variety with chicken, bogavante with lobster and shrimp, huevo with a fried egg, and marinero with seafood. Other rice dishes include paella and its varieties, the original being made with green beans, chicken, and rabbit; the mariscos variant uses seafood instead of meat. Pastas are also popular.

Dinner

The dinner is often light, and served 9:00 and 10:00 pm. It often only has a main course and dessert. The main course is often a salad, meat, or fish dish, but smaller than lunch courses. Desserts are often cheese or a small cake. Dinner is most often served with coffee, but sometimes, wine is also consumed. More often than not, dinner is skipped in favour of la merienda, an afternoon snack served around 6:00 pm. At this, people often drink coffee, and have a sandwich or some fruits.

Staple dishes

There are numerous country-wide staple dishes used as side dishes. These include croquetas (breaded potatoes), arroz alduros (a rice dish), tortilla de cortana (an omelette with potatoes), maíz frito (fried corn), and ensaladilla rustico (a salad with olives and cheese).

Appetizers are a popular part of any meal, in the form of tapas. These come in the form of sausages (such as the famous chorizo and fuet), cold cuts such as pork chops, mussels/oysters, albóndigas (meatballs with herbs), shrimp cocktails, bacon strips, and callos (a filling stew).

Nouvelle Alexandrie is known for its extensive use of spices, herbs, and vegetables. These include a wide variety of peppers, with chilli, habanero and jalapeño peppers foremost among them. Cilantro, basil, paprika, coriander, cloves, cinnamon, huacatay (black mint), nutmeg, and paico are the most used spices and herbs. The most used vegetables are garlic, onions, tomatoes, quinoa, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes.

Beverages

The number one drunk beverage in Nouvelle Alexandria is coffee. It is not only the staple beverage during breakfast and dinner, but also often during breaks. The largest coffee plantations are located in Santander, and the variety known as cueva beans are foremost among the coffee brewers of the nation. Tea is a close second, with black tea from Jingdao being enjoyed by many people.

Wine is a popular beverage, with vineyards present in both Alduria and the Keltian region. According to some experts, the best of these are known as the Cinco Castillos (Five Châteaus), being: Castillo Leñero, Castillo Dávila, Castillo del Sol, Castillo Carciner, and Castillo del Rio Dorado. The former two serve Merlot, the third and fourth serve Chardonnay, and the last serves Cabernet Sauvignon.

The consumption of beer is also extensive, due to the large amount of grains produced by the farming community. The best beers, experts say, come from Wechua. The largest produces of these are Ixcapa, based in Parap; and Cozcatl, based in San Luis.

There are numerous famous cocktails in Nouvelle Alexandrie. The best-known from Alduria include sangria, made from red wine and fruits; mojito, made with rum, lime juice, and mint; and rum and Coke.

The ones in Wechua are champús, made with corn, pineapple, and lulos; chilcano, made with lime juice, ginger ale, and pisco; and coco loco, coconut cream and water mixed with rum, tequila, and vodka.