Smiley Roast
In the settlements all throughout the Ryopytav mountains, a youngster's fourteenth birthday is celebrated with a special dinner. Guardians of the young person invite as many guests as they can afford. The banquet is supposed to be lavish, a public show of the host's wealth, their love for the guest of honor, and generosity. A prosperous family will often provide an excess of food for their guests, inviting the poor of the community to a second service of the banquet. And at every birthday banquet, the star of the meal is a whole roasted sheep’s head. Served directly to the youngster of honor, it is fondly referred to as the "Smiley Roast", or "the food that looks back at you."
Origins
Coming of age traditions often involve a prestigious food component. The early history of human culture in the Ryopytavs is one of survival against the odds. When you're struggling for survival, every available scrap of protein is a precious source of nutrition. As the years pass, prestige and tradition become attached to animal parts which are in limited supply - i.e. the head, the tongue, the heart. Among the agrarian cultures of the eastern Ryopytav mountains, the head of a herdbeast is one such protein source. Initially, the roasted head was served to any honored guest, but over time became a traditional feature of the coming of age celebration.
Cultural connotations
Since its inception hundreds of years ago, this humble roast has come to represent a variety of cultural values.
For most people, the Smiley Roast stands as a graphic reminder that we are carnivores; the meat we consume comes from living beasts we have killed. Refusal of this traditional dish, or its absence at the feast, is a declaration that the youngster has chosen to be a vegetarian or a vegan. This is a socially acceptable choice, but eating meat after publically rejecting the smiley roast is considered scandalous. Lapsed vegetarians/vegans are derided as generally untrustworthy, weak willed, or dishonest.
The solem connotations of the smiley roast are front and center in rural areas, where it is typical for the head to come from a beast that the honored youngster raised themselves. This tradition is meant to reinforce the moral duty to humane livestock farming. The youngster is expected to show respect to the memory of the animal that gave its life to provide the meal.
For urbanized folk, the smiley roast is more of a memento mori. The message here: though you are young and full of life, you are eventually fated to die. Parents generally emphasize they would like it to be later than sooner, so please be careful. Sometimes friends or siblings will create a presentation that references the youngster's preferred mode of risk-taking.
Preparations and Presentations
Generally, the smiley roast is prepared by the person who usually prepares the family's meals. There are countless variations in actual recipes, but most favor some sort of herbal marinade and roasting in a woodfired oven. The roasts in the southern part of the region are known for their application of chilies or smoky-sweet barbeque sauce. A hunter's family might substitute a wild goat, elk, or bighorn sheep for the domesticated herd beast.
While all smiley roasts begin with a simple cut of meat, in urban areas the roast is often bought from the local cookhouse and decorated at home. Most taverns and Inns serving food, can also provide this celebratory fare with 24 hours advance notice. Families with wealth often commission smiley roasts from professional cooks. These professionally prepared roasts become the centerpiece of an elaborate, edible tableau containing pastries both savory and sweet, roast vegetables, sauces, and any other kind of garnish available to the chef.
Comments
Author's Notes
For an actual recipie and cooking method you can try at home, check out [url:https://youtu.be/sNwqWAO4X6I]Sheep Head Recipe | Woodfired | Xman & Co