𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕼𝖚𝖊𝖊𝖓'𝖘 𝕷𝖎𝖔𝖓

Taste Tests

"Yuck!" Prince Soma shouted out. It was breakfast time in the Phantomhive Town House and Prince Soma had been tasked with tasting one of Sebastian's latest creations. Sebastian, Ceil, Lau and Y/N turned to look at the Prince's disgusted expression.

"Was it not to your taste?" Asked the demon butler. Soma exclaimed something incoherent when he realized he might have just insulted Sebastian. The Prince was still (and would always be) terrified of the butler who had put him in his place.

"I-It's not that... It's just very different from the curry that I always eat in India, so well..." Soma was having trouble coming up with an excuse for his outburst. Though his 'yuck' was rude, at least he was attempting to apologize. "And this is good in its own way... Um..."

"It is fine." Sebastian assured him. "Please, continue."

Soma sighed in relief before he began to give a review that would make Gordon Ramsey proud. "First, the flavor is weak, and it has no aroma. Not to mention it's gritty, so the texture is rough on the tongue. This doesn't count as curry." Y/N had tried some of the curry and it was pretty good, even if Sebastian had used curry powder. She tried to imagine how good his curry would taste once he started using 'real' spices.

"How odd. Even after I used the best curry powder available..." Sebastian held a hand up to his chin as he began to plot his next recipe alteration.

"Wow, if you used the best powder and Soma thinks it can still be improved, we're in for a real treat once you nail this curry thing." Y/N said as she took another bite of the curry. Now that Soma had pointed out the flaws of the taste and texture Y/N could tell they were there.

"Curry powder? What is that?" Asked the Prince.

"In the current era, curry, which Anglo-Indians brought back to their homeland upon their return, had taken firm root in British cuisine. But as the blending of spices was difficult for an amateur, the spices were ground and blended together, and sold as prepackaged curry powder." Sebastian explained. Naturally the demon had found the best powder he could and used it in his curry to avoid having to sort through the spices. "Yes, 'curry' of the kind that employed curry powder was peculiar to the cuisine of Great Britain alone."

"I've never seen anything like that in India, and Agni didn't use it either. At least as far as I know..." Soma claimed. Y/N knew it was true, Agni mixed all his spices by hand. "Yes, spices determine the color and heat of curry, but what is most important is their flavor. When they aren't freshly ground, their aroma evaporates." Soma explained to them. Y/N had taken a Culinary Arts class once and knew that what the Prince was saying was true. Spices, if not stored properly, could lose their flavor and aroma relatively quickly. "At my palace, I have Masalchi dedicated to that task alone."

"So in other words, using something like curry powder, in which the spices have been ground up prior to being packaged and sold, is out of the question." Sebastian sighed, he was going to have to find new spices and ground them himself.

"Yes. And depending on what he put into it, the soup of Agni's curry would look and taste different."

"Well that makes sense, he would want to complement the flavors of the ingredients he was already using." Y/N said as she ate another spoonful of the curry. Even if she could now feel the slightly gritty texture and the lack of aroma, she was still going to enjoy her breakfast.

"Then we must first track down fresh spices of the best quality," Ciel stated. He was determined to win the royal warrant against West.

"Well then West is at an advantage, his business is imports from India. While the Funtom Corporation is a very successful business, you don't import Indian spices. Looks like our best hope is buying some from the market." Y/N pointed out. "But even then, West also controls the distribution of the spices. That means he can hoard the best for himself and Agni to use at the competition."