Food and Drink The eating and drinking customs among the Eldar, as many other customs, come from the Valar. From the time when the Valar took the form and appearance in the likeness of the Children of Ilúvatar, they began to eat and drink, gathering the fruits of Yavanna, and large fields of golden wheat grew in Valinor. As the Queen Kementári set a time to flowering and ripening of everything that grew, feasts were made at the time of the first gathering of fruits for praising of Eru. A drink made from the honey of the flowers of Yavanna’s gardens was served at those festivals, and called Miruvore. It was clear and translucent, and swift and sweet. Later, in Middle-earth, another drink was made by the Elves, and called the cordial of Imladris, Miruvor. It was used by Glorfindel, and given to Gandalf on the Fellowship’s journey, and is known for its supreme invigorating and strengthening properties. Miruvor is clear as water and has no taste, as it is neither warm nor cool. This drink is very precious, though even in small quantities it refreshes both soul and body, strengthens the spirit, and brings light and hope. Though the making of Miruvor was kept secret among the Eldar, several other liquids were made, possibly in imitation of it: the cordial used by the Uruk-Hai, a burning liquid that brought strength to the body and banished pain for a while, and the Miruvor of the Númenóreans, that the Dúnedain carried with them on journeys, in small phials in sealed wallets on their belts. They also carried waybread that bore a resemblance to the lembas of the Eldar, but not quite it. For lembas, only the Eldar know how to make. It has a form of very thin cakes, light brown on the outside, and inside the colour of cream. It was passed to us from the Valar, and particularly Yavanna who used corn from the fields of Aman for its making, thus only the highest Elven-women could keep and give it at need. So the threads on the leaf wrappings in which lembas are usually kept are always sealed with the seal of the Queen bestowing them. For, truly, lembas was not given freely, and very rarely to Men, and if given, so only to those that were in great need. Only those that went on a perilous journey were permitted to use the waybread or those who were hurt or sick, for then they would be quickly healed. One can keep a traveller on a day’s journey and Elves need no other sustenance, but if Men indulge in the waybread, they tire of their mortality, and long to stay among the Eldar. Yet when all else fails, the waybread grows in potency, not mixed with other food, and strengthens the will and puts hope in hearts, as well as pleasant memories. Lembas stays sweet for many days if not broken and kept in the leaf-wrappings, and, as it is blessed by the Valar, all the creatures of darkness dislike it strongly, and stay away from it if they can help it. As lembas and Miruvor are imbued with the spirit of Aman, so is another Elven drink, called limpe. This drink, that keeps the heart young, is highly curative and gives understanding of music and singing. It can also prolong life, but again, it cannot be given to Men, for a keen desire to abide with the Elves grows in mortal hearts, and cannot be forgotten. Thus far, I have described the most remarkable things among food and drink of the Eldar, yet it is not what is used in everyday life. For Elves, even though able to endure without food for a long while, make a feast of almost every meal, with singing and storytelling. And such refreshment brings the food of the Elves that none other could. Among the Eldar, there are many good hunters, and delicious and rich seemed a meal cooked on the wood fires in the forest to other Free Peoples, while the Elves apologized for its modesty. Roast meats the Elves eat, fruits and berries, and white bread, and they drink a clear drink of pale golden colour with a scent of honey and flowers, and fresh water. From the Elder Days, and the city of Nargothrond went the farmlands and orchards, and honey, milk and butter, apples and grapes, and wine goes among the Elves. And while mead, flowery and light, only refreshes, the wine may be penetrating, and dim the mind. Thus is the strong wine of Dorwinion, described as a drink dark and potent, which is made from the berries in the valleys of the South, and is only meant to be used at high feasts, and in small quantities. That wine brings sound and deep and pleasant dreams, and is even said to revive the fainting. It was kept in leather flasks, or wine-flagons, engraved with gold and silver. The Grey Elves were especially fond of that wine. The region of Dorwinion, for which the wine is named, may be situated on the north-western shores of the Sea of Rhun, but as it is only brought to the Elves by the Dwarves, its geography is not well known. The tradition of a parting cup, a cup of farewell, goes also among the Elves, especially when receiving guests and travellers. The cup of white mead is filled by the highest Lady of the feast, and the Lord partakes of it first, then passing it to the guests. By Feowen Research Back to the top