The (Native) American Dream: The Complete History of Tahkoxia and Xuyuba
- Thread starter JSilvy
- Start date
Please do. I'd like to see a comprehensive map of the entire 'Old World' and 'New World'.
Tahkoxia and Xuyuba in 3044 LC Map
Tahkoxia and Xuyuba in 3044 LC
Key
Red: Tamyen Empire
- Light Red: Tabaah Kingdom (de-facto protectorate)
Lime: Chatik Empire
Yellow: Mishasipa (Inoka Dynasty)
Green: Chononton Kingdom
Orange: Chinguelan Empire
Violet: Mayapan successor states
- Light Violet: Qitzachian Empire
- Normal Violet: Rimarian Thalassocracy
- Dark Violet: Resaxichoxan Empire
Magenta: Gyana Coast (multiple small independent cities and tribes)
Pink: Aqala
- Dark Pink: Yate Kingdom
- Light Pink: Puri Kingdom
- Normal Pink: other small Aqalan states
Last edited:
World Map in 3044 LC
World Map in 3044 LC
Note: My sources for civilizations around 70 BCE came from Ollie Bye's video and my Afro-Eurasia map was heavily influenced by his work/aesthetic.
Also, if anyone's curious, I make my maps in Apple Paint Pro. I literally take screenshots from Google Maps or other sources (in this case Ollie Bye's video) and trace that as a template.
Flavors of the Old World
Flavors of the Old World
With regards to the history of cuisine in the Old World, it is impossible to discuss the subject without mentioning several major historic events to occur during the Imperial Age.
Perhaps one of the most significant changes to impact cuisine was the spread of the domesticated moose. Moose, as previously mentioned, were an anomaly amongst animals often considered to be livestock. They tend to be far more solitary in nature than the herd animals typically tamed. However, their relatively friendly demeanor compared to other more flighty species made it possible for northern Lenape nobility to keep them as pets, usually as a symbol of power. This symbol of power, unlike most grazing livestock, had to be fed with slash and bark, water plants, and other low-fiber plant foods. It also proved to be useful as an intimidating mount in the Inoka-Lenape War, in which the eventual Emperor Kwenshu was able to successfully push back the Mishasipan forces. Of course, this intimidation factor would decrease following the war when moose became more common in Mishasipa as well.
Moose, unlike other forms of livestock, was not very useful as a meat source. Deer, woodoxen, goats, sheep, turkeys, prairie chickens, peccaries, ducks, geese, and capybaras were all much more useful as sources of meat. Sometimes, as a display of power, wealthy Inoka nobility would slaughter a moose for a feast, although doing so on a grand scale was impractical. The increasingly widespread moose proved far more practical in other ways. The first of these was as a source for milk. In time, both the Inoka and Chinguela would discover that the fatty, protein-rich moose milk had special organic properties that could be used as a remedy for peptic ulcers.
The second, and larger of these effects, would be the impact on manumin (A) farming. Manumin was historically a crop native much of Eastern Tahkoxia, but was mostly supplanted by the calorically rich maize and potatoes that arrived from the south. However, the moose made a massive difference. The semi-aquatic moose was perfectly suited for tilling manumin fields, allowing for production of the crop to sky-rocket. In the lake-covered landscapes of northeastern Tahkoxia, along flood-prone rivers, and along the swampy Opaneyunk and Kikwinaq coasts, the population boomed. It would prove to be an incredibly valuable crop in the Chonnonton Kingdom. It would allow for greater populations in northern Chinguela’s lake-filled hinterlands and along the swamp-covered southern coast. It would increase populations along the southern Mishasipan coast, rapidly increase the ethnic Inoka Mishasipan population in the Timucua Peninsula, and allow for Mishasipan population growth and expansion in the north.
Pictured: Farmer in southern Mishasipa using what is definitely a moose to till what is definitely a flooded manumin field.
Another significant change to occur would come out of the Great Plains. The ancient peoples of the plains would hunt bison as their primary food source. However, as the centuries passed, the plains would come to be dominated by various herding peoples, with woodox herders being the most dominant and with wapiti and caribou being herded in the far north. However, several tribes, including those that would united and conquer the plains to form the Chatik Empire, continued to pursue the bison over the centuries. They would follow large herds, often culling the most aggressive members of the pack rather than targeting the weakest, something which they would copy from the herding peoples. Eventually, while not full domesticates, the bison would grow more used to being followed by the humans, who would attempt to copy herding tactics used on woodoxen (albeit with less success, given the still wild nature of the bison). Wild bison would sometimes be hunted in the Mishasipan lands, but the nomads of the plains were able to offer much larger supplies of bison leather, horns, and dried meats that the Mishasipans would produce. This eventually led to the Chatiks capturing and selling bison calves to neighboring peoples. To the south, bison herders cape to dominate the arid grass and scrublands south of the Kotsoi River that were not as suitable for agriculture. To the Nuchus, the bison would commonly be kept in zoos. Bullfighting, traditionally done with woodoxen, came to also include bulls. In the Inoka Mishasipa, the bison came to be a creature not common amongst the people, but kept among the noble classes as a symbol of power, much like the moose initially was in northern Chinguela. It would still be centuries, however, before the bison became a common form of livestock alongside the others of the big five– goats, sheep, woodoxen, and deer (1).
Pictured: Bison grazing on a ranch.
As with various styles of cuisine all over the world, one of the most important features is the use of starchy foods, often made into breads or other concoctions. Corn had a variety of ways of being served– on the cob, popped, or simply cooked as cooked kernels mixed with other vegetables. Many cuisines involved the mixing of corn kernels with other grains and vegetables. In eastern Tahkoxia as well as some wet tropical regions where manumin was grown, it was common to fry corn and manumin mixed with scrambled or poached eggs, meat, and various other vegetables. In western and much of southern Tahkoxia, manumin was less common, and so it was more common to mix corn kernels with beans, squash, and peppers.
Pictured: Sauteed mixture of maize kernels, manumin, and vegetables.
Just as if not more common, however, was the use of cornmeal, made by grinding dry raw grains of maize. Cornmeal would be used to coat and fry fish, meat, and potatoes. Cornmeal breads would take a variety of forms. In East Tahkoxia, a variety of breads were common, including a baked soft and fluffier bread sometimes made with eggs, as well as several flatter varieties made in a skillet. Sometimes, in Mishasipa, crackling breads would be made with the meat (often peccary or capybara) baked into them. Sometimes, these breads would be made into cakes, sweetened with maple syrup, honey, and fruits. These styles of bread were also quite common elsewhere, but many other varieties existed. In West Tahkoxia, frybreads were quite common, initially as a food of the poor before becoming more widespread, and were often made from other starches, such as acorns or sometimes even potato. Sunflowers were also commonly use as an alternative grain. In southern Tahkoxia and in northern parts of Xuyuba, various forms of hard and soft tortilla were often made, used in a variety of wraps and sandwiches. Across both continents, it was also common to make other dishes such as cornmeal mush porridge and hominy.
Pictured: Hominy made from corn kernels.
Potatoes and sweet potatoes were even more common in Xuyuba. Often, these tubers would be baked, mashed, chopped and mixed with other foods, or would also be made into breads or other baked goods.
Pictured: Modern flat potato bread with beans and a side of capybara bacon.
Perhaps one of the most well known dishes, originating in Hutya, is dala. A crust of fry-bread is topped with usually a variety of beans, vegetables, meats, and often soft and crumbly sheep or goat cheeses, which could be either fresh or melted. Often, the bread would also have a coating of a sauce often made from a mix of tomatoes, peppers, and other foods. This food would spread south and east, mixing with similar cuisines made elsewhere. In the south, similar recipes would also be made with tortillas, and would include more spices and tropical vegetables, influencing the Tollan tlahcos. Southern Tahkoxian recipes in general would also commonly use avocados, and so guacamole was common as a sauce. In eastern Tahkoxia, it would become common to sweeten the dough with syrup and top with a berry sauce. This variety would also be topped with cheese, forming a popular healthy yet sweet food.
Pictured: Ground bison tlahcos.
.
With regards to meat, it is also worth noting the prevalence of different forms of livestock in different areas. While most species were widely spread, there were certainly minor regional preferences. Goats and sheep were most common West Tahkoxia while woodoxen and deer were more common in the east. In most of the tropics, there was a preference towards capybaras and peccaries. Particularly in Gyana and the Antiyu rainforest, most forms of livestock beyond capybaras and peccaries were quite rare, although iguanas were also commonly kept and eaten. While a variety of livestock populated the grasslands and forests eastern Xuyuba, llamas, alpacas, and rheas certainly had a head start above other species. As bison gained prominence, they would eventually become common in Tahkoxia, while caribou and wapitis would become common in the north. Turkeys would be incredibly common throughout, ducks and geese would become most common in non-arid areas, prairie chickens would be common throughout Tahkoxia, and cavies would be common throughout both northern and western Xuyuba. While there were a number of ways of serving meat, one popular style for nomads and travelers was charki. This way of drying and serving meat was likely originated in the ancient Antikunas, but came to be widespread throughout both continents. It was especially common amongst people living in grasslands and arid areas as well as among sailors. Even as the rise in the salt trade (particularly from the Antikunas) meant more options for preserving meats, charki remained popular.
Pictured: Traditional dried and salted charki (ignore the writing on the mug).
Liquor was often made from corn and potatoes. In the Antikunas, fermented llama or alpaca milk became popular. Various fruits, such as passionfruit and pineapples in Xuyuba, papayas in southern Tahkoxia, cherries and plums in Hutya, prickly-pear cactus in Lichikeyah, and grapes, cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, and other berries in Eastern Tahkoxia, became popular for the creation of wines. Additionally common were the competing caffeinated beverages of cocoa and yaupon. Yaupon was most commonly grown in southern Mishasipa and Chinguela, although would come to spread to the Relibalqix, Lichikeyah, and would become commonly grown in the Central Valley of Hutya. The leaves would often be mixed with heated water or tea and flavored and sweetened with local fruits and mints. Cocoa, on the other hand, was commonly made as a strong, spicy drink mixed with cornmeal and pepper in southern Tahkoxia and northern Xuyuba. However, following the Mayan conquests, the drink would take different varieties further north. The Inoka would try to grow their own cocoa, but would only really have success in parts of the Timucua peninsula. In the north, many would note the wonderful flavor achieved when mixing the rich cocoa with sweet syrup. Cocoa came to be sweetened and treated much like yaupon, made into sweet warming drinks. It’s believed that the presence of these caffeinated beverages would play a part in spurring thought in innovation in areas where they were commonly consumed.
Pictured: Traditional Tollan chocolate drink.
Eggs were often collected from turkeys, prairie chickens, ducks, and geese, and were used in a variety of dishes, often being scrambled into mixtures of other foods. However, one of the most unique egg dishes known as se’ngre could be found in Aqala, where a Rhea egg could make for an entire meal. The top of the shell would be cracked open, and meats (2), vegetables, and spices would be thrown in. The entire egg would then be either hard or soft boiled. A variety of other dishes would be made with rhea eggs. Sometimes they would be cracked over a dish of sauce and vegetables or poached in the center of a plant with several breads and other foods to dip in like a fondue.
Pictured: A Rhea egg shown alongside the eggs of an emu, ostrich, and chicken.
Seafoods were also a staple in many cuisine. Lakes such as the Great Lakes and rivers like the Mishasipi, Antiyu, and Wimal (B) boasted plenty of fish, with salmon playing a particularly large role in the cuisine of Northwest Tahkoxia. Tuna was also incredibly widespread and popular both in the Opaneyunk and Xamarinaq. The Relibalqix was home to plenty of tropical fish, such as the Snapper, Mahi-Mahi, Grouper, Lion Fish, Snook or Mackerel. Shrimp was common among the Kikwinaq Coast, and Shrimp Gumbo was quite popular among the southern coast of Mishasipa. Chinguela too was known for its seafood. The Nentego Bay was a popular fishing hub, home to red and black drum, croaker, spot, kingfish, trout, flounder, and a variety of others. The Nentego Bay was also known for its crabs, with annual crab festivals occurring in the area. Around the Manhattan area and to the north, clams and oysters were popular, with stuffed street oysters being a common food in the cities. Clam chowder was also a common delicacy in this area. Lobsters were also popular in the northern portions of Chinguela.
Pictured: Stuffed oysters are a common Chinguelan delicacy.
In terms of adding additional flavor, maple syrup and honey were common sweeteners. Sugarcane, native to southern Mishasipa and Chinguela as well as to northern Xuyuba, was also used. Peppers and a variety of other spices were common as well. Cocoa and vanilla extract were also used to add flavor. Bay leaf, loveroot, a variety of mints, tarragon, sagebrush, juniper, and onion would be traded throughout the two continents by spice merchants, working their way into virtually every cuisine.
____________________________________________
(1) This term is often controversial and is viewed as Tahkocentric. It is often seen as understating the importance of species like the llama and alpaca that are prominent in much of Xuyuba. It also ignores the pigs and various species of caprines and bovids in the New World. Some also argue that other Old World species such as peccaries, capybaras, and rheas should also be considered part of this classification, although this is often disputed due to their smaller size. People also often try to include moose, caribous, and wapitis, although the former is not commonly used for its meat, and the latter two are uncommon beyond the far north.
(2) Due to practices in Aqalist religion that forbade “boiling the mother in its chick’s yoke”, this usually did not include the meat of rheas or other birds.
____________________________________________
(A) Wild Rice
(B) Columbia River
This was definitely one of the more difficult ones to write. I'm usually better with narratives and events, so diving into the culture like this was quite challenging and I definitely barely scratched the surface.
Also even though I use English names for a lot of the foods, I didn't want to use "wild rice" because in this timeline it would be a domesticated crop that is also incredibly distinct from actual rice, so I used the native name, although I spelled it with a "u" instead of an "oo".
Also even though I use English names for a lot of the foods, I didn't want to use "wild rice" because in this timeline it would be a domesticated crop that is also incredibly distinct from actual rice, so I used the native name, although I spelled it with a "u" instead of an "oo".
Last edited:
Monitor
Donor
Ok, so what is that really? I know it cannot be what you said it is, because to the best of my knowledge you are unable to swap timelines at will
As I said, it is definitely a farmer in southern Mishasipa using what is definitely a moose to till what is definitely a flooded manumin field.Ok, so what is that really? I know it cannot be what you said it is, because to the best of my knowledge you are unable to swap timelines at will
Ok I kid, it's a farmer somewhere in east or southeast Asia using a water buffalo to till a flooded rice field.
Last edited:
World Population Map 3115 LC (1 AD)
World Population Map 3115 LC (1 AD)
1 dot ~ 1 million
Population of Tahkoxia: 119 million
- East/Central Tahkoxia: 64 million
- West Tahkoxia: 22 million
- South Tahkoxia: 33
Population of the Old World: 151 million
Population of Europe: 25 million
Population of Africa: 14 million
Population of Asia: 123 million
- East Asia: 62 million
- South/Central Asia: 44 million
- West Asia: 17 million
New World Population: 163 million
Total World Population: 314 million
________________________________________
Source: https://worldpopulationhistory.org/map/1/mercator/1/-43/25/
My reasons for having the western hemisphere be so densely populated is a higher portion of arable land, higher quality amongst a lot of that arable land, and superior crops in terms of caloric yield per acre. I tried to also be realistic with my density. For Mishasipa and Tollana, I looked at China and the Gangetic plain in India respectively. For Hutya, I took some inspiration from Italy but made it a bit more dense. For the Antikunas, I compared with the population of the OTL Incas who would have had a similar (perhaps slightly lower even) technological level. Of course I recognize that this is still flawed and would appreciate feedback. Also of course tropical areas have higher populations due to fewer diseases.
Last edited:
If anyone's curious, here's a list of the 31 most populous OTL modern countries in 1 CE in this timeline.
US: 80
China: 55
India: 36
Mexico: 26
Brazil: 12
Turkey: 8
Italy: 7
Colombia: 6
Peru: 6
Egypt: 4
France: 4
Germany: 4
Iran: 4
Canada: 3
Japan: 3
Spain: 3
Venezuela: 3
Afghanistan: 2
Algeria: 2
Argentina: 2
Bangladesh: 2
Cuba: 2
Greece: 2
Guatemala: 2
Honduras: 2
Indonesia: 2
Nicaragua: 2
Nigeria: 2
Pakistan: 2
Sudan: 2
Syria: 2
US: 80
China: 55
India: 36
Mexico: 26
Brazil: 12
Turkey: 8
Italy: 7
Colombia: 6
Peru: 6
Egypt: 4
France: 4
Germany: 4
Iran: 4
Canada: 3
Japan: 3
Spain: 3
Venezuela: 3
Afghanistan: 2
Algeria: 2
Argentina: 2
Bangladesh: 2
Cuba: 2
Greece: 2
Guatemala: 2
Honduras: 2
Indonesia: 2
Nicaragua: 2
Nigeria: 2
Pakistan: 2
Sudan: 2
Syria: 2
No civilisation in the Columbia Plateau/Snake River area yet? TTL it would be a very good place for hydraulic civilisation (borrowing from the Plains and California) especially if judging by your dots 3-4 million people live west of the Cascades
Is that whole area basically like Northern Europe in 1 AD, i.e. a peripheral region greatly influenced by its southern neighbours? Especially since Tamyen is like Rome if Julius Caesar took out his assassins. And I guess the Columbia River/Wimal would be like the Rhine border?
And I suppose a similar thing with most of modern Chile? Even southern Patagonia and its rivers would be decent for irrigated quinoa and potatoes (although it's definitely pastoralist land as you noted).
The Pacific Northwest is indeed still largely peripheral. I alluded to their being some less advanced civilizations in the valley such as the Kalapuyans, but they are still peripheral at this point, sort of like the Gauls.
Also keep in mind on that map the PNW still has a fairly decent density. There are basically 3 million people in the relatively narrow region.
EDIT: I should also be clear, the plains are still mostly at this point nomadic. Some of the easternmost portions of the Great Plains are settled, but that's because it's close to the Inoka heartland.
Last edited:
Thanks!I've caught up with this story, and it's quite good - judging from the map above, it looks like the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans will act as butterfly nets for quite a long while still - the Vinland colonists will be in for quite a shock.
Understandable. If we take Europe as an example, I think you would have the Kalapuya divided into three "tribes" (Roman sense), roughly corresponding by OTL dialect, plus the Chinookans at the mouth of the Willamette River, who would be on both sides of the Columbia/Wimal. The Columbia Plateau could be agrarian (since the loess soil is fantastic for farming anything as long as it gets water) but it is also nice for pastoralism.
I think they'd use iron instead of bronze since tin is rare (needs to be imported from OTL Alaska, Nevada, or southeastern BC) and arsenical sources perhaps unreliable. OTL Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia have some sources of magnetite and hematite.
Perhaps Chinookan or (Coast) Salishan *Arminius will soon arrive to smash some Tamyen skulls? Although Daraten Maldis seems like the sort of guy to not merely demand his legions back but take his legions back by force.
Is there an equivalent of a Persian/Turk dynamic there? OTL there was a division between (mostly) sedentary village people and horse nomads, and IIRC this division occurred even before European contact with groups more focused on hunting and gathering co-existing in symbiosis with groups in the river valleys who mostly farmed.