The following was posted to Facebook from Lady Kattera Doplerin, reproduced here by her kind permission. Lady Kattera is the Head Cook for the Æthelmearc Grand Tournament this Saturday, Feb 2nd, 2019, in the Debatable Lands (indoors), which includes 3 rattan tourneys, 3 rapier tourneys, an A&S competition for all ages, and a Youth Quest. And of course, the food: 

A Self- Indulgent Ramble on Menu Planning

As I was planning my menu for Æthelmearc Grand Tournament I asked myself, “Self, what do fighters like?” The things that sprung most strongly to mind were Meat (and other proteins), Pickles, and Things To Be Eaten With One Hand. So the first thing I did was make 25lb of homemade pickles and start building the meal from there.

Ok, so we have the pickles. What other things are salty little electrolyte bombs? Olives, definitely. Dolmas, sure those are good. And I have to make sure that our meat-free fighters get plenty of protein, and crispy chickpeas will certainly do that. Olives, dolmas, chickpeas. Guess we’re going with a Mediterranean/ Middle Eastern palette then.

So, how do we pack all these electrolytes and proteins into a package that can be eaten out of one hand on the way to or from the lists? Meat on a stick is a classic, but honestly I didn’t want to spend hours of prep shoving skewers through chicken parts, so no meat on a stick. Burritos are the perfect food for many reasons, portability being one of them, but not exactly on-theme for this.

So, flatbreads.

*Every* culture has some version of stuff stuffed into other stuff, with the first stuff being flavorful and the second stuff being carb-y. So stacks and stacks of pita/naan/cicina/ whatever I can get (ed. note: including gluten free options).

Meats go on flatbread, other stuff goes on flatbread, flatbread goes in face.

So, my menu as it currently stands–

– Flatbreads
– Roasted Meat (chicken, others if money allows)
– Roasted Vegetables (assortment based on availability)
– Spreads/ Dips (tzatziki, hummus, baba ganoush, possibly tabbouleh)
– Pickles (assorted)
– Stuffed Grape Leaves
– Olives
– Hardboiled Eggs
– Crispy Chickpeas
– Feta Cheese

And for sweets-
– Dried Dates/ Figs/ Apricots
– Fresh Fruit (assortment based on availability)
– Rice pudding w/ assorted topping options (honey, raisins, nuts)

See you there!