Sky Kraken Theories and Spicy Sky Kraken Stir-fry

 As any adventurer who has had the privilege of travelling by air ship would know, one must always be prepared for the rare opportunity of a sky kraken sighting. An even more rare and utterly unique experience is to have the chance to taste sky kraken. Lucky happenstance bestowed such an experience to Nigel and myself while we were travelling over the Far Eastern Korean peninsula.  The recipe is included further down this page.

The flesh of the kraken (sky or water) can likened to it's cousin, the squid.  Though no one really knows what caused the evolutionary step of the water-bound kraken to take to the skies, I have my theories.

It is my belief that the sky kraken, in fact, bear a resemblance to flying fish.  When seen, a noticeable trait of the sky kraken is the elongated and widened fins along the mantle (or tube).  These are used by these creatures for gliding flights, whether to avoid predators or to find more sources of sustenance.  I am not truly convinced that humans are one such source.

Another anatomical difference to note is the sky kraken's mantle (tube).  The mantle of their water-bound kin is used for propulsion by drawing water in and expelling with with great force.  My belief is that the sky krakens use this same mode of propulsion to jetison themselves into the skies for their gliding journeys and aerial attacks.  Their mantles would have evolved to allow a greater amount of force to be exerted and a learned or instinctual angling of their bodies to become air borne.

These, of course, are merely theories based on the short glimpse Nigel and I had of a sky kraken and the various stories we heard in regards to the experiences of other witnesses.  There is, however, no definitive answer to the mystery of the sky krakens at this time.

Below is the recipe for the sky kraken dish we were provided.

Websites: Mrs. Beeton and Historic Foods

I've heard quite a bit about Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management as a good resource for Victorian recipes, though I do admit that I like looking through these books for the household information as well. I was thumbing through a receipt book I procured, which dates back to the 1890's (I forget the exact year at the moment of writing this), and did my usual perusing of various topics it covers. This time, I read a number of items regarding caring for babies as well as the cooking section.

Regarding the latter, I find it interesting how the recipes do actually (for the most part) include measurements for many of the ingredients. I hear over and over that Victorian recipes don't typically have measurements, especially fairly precise ones, but this book does. I'll have to include the actual name, date, and author in a later entry.

Anyways, I looked a little at Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management and do hope to try out some of her recipes.

One other resource of note is Historical Foods. I found this while looking to see how others have faired with Mrs. Beeton's recipes. Historical Foods is very helpful, as it uses a variety of sources and attempts to offer modern interpretations while not altering the recipes too much.

Website: Steampunk Cookery

While I have a moment, I wanted to provide a link to a really nice blog called Steampunk Cookery. This is a fairly more recent blog, but has a lot of information, recipes, and research. I would be remiss if I didn't give credit to Mac's blog for inspiring this one.

When I saw his steampunk cooking blog a month ago, I thought it was a great idea. It's more focused on Victorian dishes, mostly seeming from the Western cultures. His blog got my mind tickling ever since. This blog, Chrononaut Cookery, will be focused on a wide range of cuisines, with the limitation of gluten free cooking. (I didn't realize how similar our blog names were... Eep!!!) We are also likely to be less focused on the historical information than Mac is, though I hope to provide some details. Mac is a historian and chef in training... and I am a mere working mother who likes to cook. :-)

So, please visit his blog and show him some love for embarking on his culinary journey and inspiring other steampunks to share in theirs.

An Introduction

Welcome! This blog is a record of various culinary attempts and tastings from a variety of countries and time periods. All recipes (unless otherwise stated) will be gluten free, whether naturally so or modified.

A little about the writers here:

Olivia (Mankycat) and Nigel (Sgt. Steampunk) are a happily married couple with two young children. We enjoy trying a wide variety of foods, from the more common to the more exotic (with a few exceptions). We are borderline foodies, though Nigel would say Olivia is much more of one than he. Both are, unfortunately, burdened with the affliction of "too many interests and hobbies".

Olivia has a tendency to research recipes and cooking methods from different eras, and has collected a number of cookbooks and receipt books (basic home management books) predominantly from the 1800's to the 1940's.

Both Nigel and Olivia enjoy watching shows that focus on the historic lifestyles of different cultures and time periods. Neither claim to be authorities, but casual knowledge seekers.

This blog is mainly us having fun and sharing what we learn or attempt. This is, of course, as time and our obligations permit. We hope you enjoy.