Jin and the others got onto the carriage that was waiting on the border of commoners’ and nobles’ districts, and returned to marquis Firentsiano’s villa.
“Let’s see.”
Jin took the topopoes he bought, and headed to the kitchen. In there, the dinner preparations were underway.
Even though meals had to be prepared for Jin and the others in addition to the Marquis, the atmosphere didn’t seem to be busy.
“Oh? Honored guest? How may I be of use?”
A man in the prime of his life, who seemed to be the head chef noticed Jin.
“Umm, good day. Could I use the kitchen for a bit?”,
Jin said and showed the sack he was carrying. Seeing it, the chefs wondered,
“Could those be topopoes? Why bring such commoners’ food here?”
“Isn’t a part of them poisonous?”
Everyone asked similar questions. Jin smiled and explained,
“Poisonous? That’s only the ones that are sprouted. The sprouts contain poison. These ones haven’t sprouted so they’re safe.”
“Is that so? So there was such a thing…”
“Hmm, now that I think about it, I’ve heard that before.”
“Do you mean the sprouted topopoes are edible if you gouge out the sprouts?”
Jin faced the chefs and made an exaggerated nod.
“And so, I’d like to make a tasty snack out of these, could you lend me a hand?”
Jin said, and the head chef-looking man volunteered.
“If that is the case, then I shall assist honored guest.”
First, they washed all the dirt off the topopoes.
Then they were made into thin slices and let to steep in water for a short while.
The water was then drained, the slices fried in high temperature oil, and seasoned while they were still hot.
That’s right, Jin was making potato chips.
As expected of the master chef’s skills, he made slices thin enough to see through.
Jin thought about different options for seasoning, but decided to first start with simple salt.
Using a saucepan made for frying, the prototype was done in no time.
“Huh, that was simple.”
“Now, time for a taste test.”,
Jin said and took a potato chip and was about to eat it, when Reiko swooped in from his side, seized the chip, and ate it.
“Uh, oi. Reiko.”
“If it’s poison tasting, leave it to me.”
Reiko commenced to measure the toxicity with the analysis function of her mouth.
“Toxicity, none. The saltiness seems to be just right, too.”
Alright, Jin thought, and took two or three chips and bit into them all at once. The taste he had missed spread in his mouth.
“Mm, that’s a good result.”
After seeing all that, the master chef timidly picked up a single chip and put it in his mouth.
“De-delicious! The crisp texture, and the crunchy feeling goes very well with the oiliness and the salt…!”
The other chefs who heard the head chef’s praise, having spare time stretched out their hands one by one to grab potato chips.
“That’s goooood!”,
“How can something this cheap taste so good!”,
“Things like this is why they say quality of the ingredients isn’t the only thing that decides the taste!”,
and similar opinions were heard all-around.
Just like that, the prototype potato chips disappeared in no time.
“Oh my, I’m no match for honored guest.”
The head chef shook Jin’s hand.
“These can be a light meal as themselves, and they also go well with ale.”
“If you experiment with the seasoning, I’m sure you can make them even more delicious. I’ll leave it to you.”
And so potato chips were added to the day’s dinner menu.
＊ ＊ ＊
At dinnertime.
Marquis Firentsiano joined the others for the evening meal.
“First, let’s talk about the matter of the distiller. For putting the mass production system in order, would a reward of two million Torr suffice?”
Reinhardt was fine with it, and Jin nodded. With that, the Marquis’ work talk was over.
“Reinhardt-kun, Miss Elsa, Jin-kun. Let’s not stand on ceremony tonight. I propose a toast.”
“Cheers!”
Everyone raised their glasses. The glasses they used were transparent, and had the Marquis’ crest inscribed on them. The design depicted some sort of a bird of prey.
When the glasses were empty of the first round of wine, the head chef came over.
“This is a new dish.”,
He said, and laid on the table the potato chips from earlier.
“Oh, interesting indeed.”
The Marquis promptly picked up a chip and ate it. Seeing that, Reinhardt and Elsa also ate some.
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“How tasty. As expected of head chef Mathias.”
“Yes, it’s good!”
“…Delicious.”
The head chef replied to the compliments,
“Forgive me, but this recipe was taught to me by the honored guest.”
Truly honest to a fault.
Elza who heard that was surprised,
“Could… Could this be… Topopo?”
“Eh? Topopo?”
“Topopo? This?”
Both Reinhardt and Marquis Firentsiano were astonished by Elsa’s words.
The head chef feverishly explained that yes, it is topopo, but there’s no need to worry about any poison, and that it is quite delicious when cooked. Jin continued,
“Rather than in the topopoes itself, there’s poison in the sprouts of the topopoes. You could call it a defense measure against animals who would eat their hard-grown sprouts.”
Everyone nodded as they heard Jin’s explanation. Certainly, almost all topopo-related food poisoning cases have occurred after spring. In other words, many days after harvest time.
Most importantly, right now it’s an edible dish. Or rather, a treat. Or rather, a snack. Or rather…
“Topopo chips.”
Jin said.
He’s eaten them for years though.
“I see. I feel like I understand why Reinhardt-kun called Jin-kun a bit unique for a Magi Craftsman.”,
The Marquis said and grabbed topopo chips.
“They make you want to have another.”
He had yet more.
“Marquis, that’s unfair.”
Reinhardt also grabbed more chips. Jin started eating them too.
Left for last, Elsa nervously reached out and put a single chip in her mouth. Soon everyone was eating, and in the blink of an eye the heap of topopo chips had disappeared.
“Oh my, there’s nothing more a chef can ask than having the plate eaten clean.”
The head chef said and bowed.
Looking like something was on his mind, Marquis Firentsia turned to Jin and said,
“Jin-kun, no, Jin-dono. May we make these topopo chips in our house, no, in our city of Bolgia?”
Jin nodded while smiling,
“Yes, of course. Think of it as thanks for your hospitality.”
“Alright, thank you. Then, let’s carry on with the meal. Please enjoy yourselves to the fullest this evening.”
＊ ＊ ＊
Some time afterwards, Bolgia’s topopo chips would become known as a famous specialty, and as topopoes gain popularity, thanks to the increased produce demand farmers’ livelihoods ease, and the country’s tax yields increase.
Derivatives like fried topopoes and mashed topopoes also come to fame. Marquis Firentsiano receives praise for his deeds in the years to come.
The use of refrigerators to preserve ingredients spreads too aside with the topopoes.
Regarding that, Jin warned to not store topopoes that were going to be fried in oil in the fridge, and the information was spread along with them.