Chapter 8: The True Flavor

Chapter 8: The True Flavor

Kelton and Master approached Suye, looking at the four bowls of fresh, milky-white delicacies with curious expressions.

The doubt in Kelton's eyes vanished, and the anger in Master's heart dissipated.

They had indeed never seen this kind of food before.

Although it didn't look particularly appealing, it seemed fine under the crystal light, even possessing a unique beauty.

"What is this?" Master asked eagerly.

Suye smiled. "Have you heard of salad?"

Kelton interjected, "Of course we have. It's something from Persia, just some raw vegetables sprinkled with salt and spices—nothing worth eating."

"I don't like it," Master said.

Suye was taken aback; he hadn't known that salads existed back then. He had assumed that salads and salad dressing appeared together, but it seemed that Ancient Greece already had salads, though they were more like simple cold dishes. As for salad dressing, it was a product of two thousand years later.

Suye quickly smiled again. "This thing is called salad dressing, which can transform grass-like salads into delicious meals..."

Before Suye could continue, Master impatiently grabbed a clean knife, dipped its tip into the salad dressing, and put it in his mouth.

"Smack... smack..." Master kept smacking his lips, but his expression grew increasingly grim.

Seeing something was wrong, Kelton hurriedly tasted a bit of the salad dressing too and spat it out after a few bites.

Kelton put down the knife and looked down at Suye, his face devoid of any smile.

He gently turned the snake-head ring on his left ring finger.

"Master, give your evaluation," Kelton's voice sounded as if it came from the winter of Northern Europe. The five people who made the salad dressing trembled slightly, their bodies stiffening.

Suye still wore a smile.

Master did not immediately respond. Instead, he used the tip of the knife to pick up a bit of the second bowl's salad dressing, raised it slightly, and observed it under the crystal light.

It was lustrous and glossy, smooth and viscous.

"Did this bowl succeed?" Master asked.

"It's fair, but still far from perfect," Suye admitted truthfully.

Master placed the second bowl's salad dressing in his mouth, savoring it carefully, and then proceeded to taste all four bowls.

Under everyone's watchful gaze, Master slowly said, "The texture is unique, with a hint of lemon's fragrance, but it's a bit greasy and lacks something distinctive. It's not worth ten golden eagles."

Kelton took a deep breath and exhaled, looking coldly at Suye with a tone that was eerily calm. "Suye, do you know the price of deceiving me?"

Suye innocently replied, "Yes, I do."

"Then you..."

"The basic salad dressing is done, but it needs additional ingredients to be fully edible. I didn't ask you two to taste it. I wasn't finished speaking when Master Chef tasted it. How is that my fault?"

Kelton was momentarily stunned. Instead of getting angry, he looked at Suye in surprise. He realized that Suye had been controlling the situation all along.

"What else does it need?" Master looked at Suye anxiously, sensing that something important was missing.

"A moderate amount of honey," Suye regretted the lack of white sugar, which should have been added to the egg yolk first, but honey could easily replace it. In Ancient Greece, honey was an essential seasoning.

"Exactly! I knew something was missing! With honey, it would be completely different!" Master's expression suddenly became enthusiastic.

Kelton's eyes widened, his heart filled with joy. Master only lost his composure when tasting exquisite cuisine.

"How much?" Master grabbed Suye's shoulders, his eyes brighter than magic lamps.

"That's why I invited you here," Suye said.

"Thank you, generous Suye!"

Master was overjoyed, realizing he could participate in creating a new dish.

He closed his eyes, reopening them with renewed calm, but his eyes shone even brighter.

He tasted each of the four bowls of salad dressing again, finally selecting one. "This bowl has the most balanced color and texture. I'll use this as the base."

He carefully scooped some salad dressing with a clean shell, placed it in another clean clay bowl, and added an appropriate amount of honey, mixing it thoroughly himself.

He tasted it, frowned slightly, tasted twice more, and added a little more honey, stirring again.

After tasting once more, his frown disappeared, and his face lit up with indescribable joy, his eyes glowing like molten lava.

"Divine! Divine! This is truly a gift from the gods! Suye, I apologize for my earlier rude evaluation! You were right; salad dressing can change the culinary landscape of all Greece! No, the entire world! I can foresee that the world's gourmets will go mad for salad dressing! Suye, thank you for giving me the chance to add honey!"

Master's hands once again grasped Suye's shoulders.

"You deserve it," Suye smiled.

Kelton looked at Master and suddenly realized that he had been overlooked by Suye. He immediately picked up a clean knife, tasted a bit of the sweet salad dressing, and his eyes lit up.

The salad dressing with honey was a completely different food compared to the one without.

"Even so, it cannot be worth ten thousand gold," Kelton stubbornly insisted.

"What do you know! You're defaming the salad dressing!" Master glared at Kelton.

Kelton's expression froze. Although Master had criticized him before, it was always calmly. Never had he seen such fiery anger as today.

Suye cleared his throat and said, “You’re being too harsh on Mr. Kelton. He only tasted the salad dressing and couldn’t imagine how it would go with the salad. How about the two of us team up to create the world’s first salad with dressing?”

“You’re truly generous!” Master laughed heartily.

Kelton silently watched the old man and the young man start making a new salad. His dissatisfaction gradually faded, and his gaze focused more and more on Suye, lost in thought.

From the beginning, Suye had never worried about the salad dressing not suiting the Greek palate.

In fact, even during the period without salad dressing, Greeks loved salads.

And the origin of salad dressing is also from Greece in the future!

Egg yolk, olive oil, and lemon juice were originally the simplest combination for salad dressing.

The geographical position of Ancient Greece was very special.

To the north was Europe, to the east was the Tigris-Euphrates region, and to the south was Egypt. It was at the intersection of three civilizations, undergoing the influence of multiple cultures, which not only gave birth to a civilization that influenced the world but also possessed the most diverse range of goods worldwide.

Including food.

The main ingredients needed for a salad, such as lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, and so on, were all available in the room.

Suye effortlessly created a salad that was a feast for the eyes and the palate.