Puotti

Puotti [poo-UH-tee] is a dish made from fine doughberry flour, mixed with water and stretched until it becomes elastic and almost rubbery. Puotti is a staple of Jorothi cuisine, eaten particularly in the arid parts of central and western Ororr, where it is not only eaten as a starch, but used as a utensil to pick up roast meat in particular from a communal plate.

Diners tear a small handful of poutti from the serving bowl, stretch it between thumb and forefinger, use it to pluck morsels from the communal plate, then pop the whole into their mouth. As such it is best known as a “campfire food” for nomads and travellers, since unlike bread or grains it requires little preparation.

Many rules of etiquette and ceremony have developed around the preparation, and particularly the eating of puotti. The Othei people in particular have a great many rules of etiquette, with an eaters civility and social standing depending on how neatly and dextrously one handles the dish. This is almost always disastrous for strangers, who invariably end up with their hands and face covered in a doughy mess.