Like the Seven Isles, not much is known about Archenland. In the books it serves as Narnia’s steadfast ally, a typical Medieval European country ruled by humans that lacks the magic ** and the Talking Beasts of Narnia. It figures most prominently in The Horse and His Boy. Lewis gives it a few quirky details, like brothers having short first names which in the younger one is extended by a syllable (see Twins of Archenland) but other than that it isn’t explicitly fleshed out.
However, we can infer quite a lot about it from what is there. It is a mountainous country, and some of those mountains are high enough to be snowed in at winter and act as a protective barrier to Narnia. It is likely landlocked because no Archenlandian navy is mentioned. It is a rural place and its people are neither traders or warriors, and as country it has existed for a very long time without any major disruptions, ones that we know of anyway.
All of these factors make me think of it as a kind of Switzerland, leaning mostly on the Germanic side, and in that vein I came up with some unique dishes for it.
Foods of Archenland
| High Summer Roast: Wild boar doused with thickened dark ale, then spit-toasted over a fruitwood fire. Wood from an apple tree is best.
Ironcake: A rye flatbread baked on a flat river stone that has been heated in a fire. Delicious when topped with pork cracklings or served with Moonmelt. Moonmelt: There is a legend in Archenland that the moon is made of cheese. This dish is similar to a Swiss fondue in that several types of cheese are combined in a copper pot in which pieces of bread or other food items are dipped. Dundlefiskel: Smoked fish served with sweet pickles as an appetizer. Kingsmash: Well-boiled potatoes, turnips, parsnips, and carrots mashed together with butter and goat cheese curds. The wet mixture is poured in a deep casserole dish and topped with bread crumbs and parsley, then baked in the oven until the top is crispy. Archenlandian mulled wine: Served at the Yule holidays. Spruce resin is one of the many spices that give it a distinct flavor. Gleisten: A pale cider made from late apples and pears flavored with alpine herbs. Applehoney Pie: Said to have created by Queen Aravis who missed the honey-flavored desserts of her native Calormen. Honey is used liberally in this pie instead of sugar and the crust is exceptionally sweet and flaky. |
** There is the magic pool of The Hermit of the Southern Marches, but it’s not clear if he’s within the borders of Archenland or not.
