this post was submitted on 25 Dec 2025
21 points (95.7% liked)
Melbourne
2272 readers
52 users here now
This community is a place created for the people of Melbourne and Victoria. We are a positive, welcoming and inclusive community. We might not agree about everything, but we always strive to stay civil and respectful.
The focus of our discussions is based around things that affect Victoria, but we are also free to discuss our local perspective on wider issues. Or head to the regular Daily Random Discussion thread to talk about anything.
Ongoing discussions, FAQs & Resources (still under construction)
Adoption Certificate for Nellie, the Daily Thread numbat (with thanks to @Catfish)
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
So one small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man
And chocolately too - which lembas wasn't which was a missed opportunity I reckon.
Did they have chocolate in Middle Earth? They had potatoes which implies the equivalent of South America so maybe but it’s never specifically mentioned.
Spuds are a solanum species, which is not specific to south america. eg belladonna. So this hypothesis maybe falls over. Ditto tomatoes and chillies - also solanum species. Curcurbits like pumpkins etc are also not specific as gourds are worldwide (except for antarctica). My theory is accelerated selection pressure from elves etc. for edible species. Plus a bit of magic. I mean, do we know that what the LOTR universe calls a potato is the same as ours? We don't.
I can’t believe there’s a part of worldbuilding Tolkien didn’t spell out. Indeed, it must have been elves. Or a wizard did it.