Do the good folk eat wheat?

[haptalaon]

Has anyone ever come across "fairies do not eat wheat" in their lore/work before?

I did some actual Work last week and got a sense that I should be tabooing wheat, possibily dairy (because fruit and meat can be found in the forest) for this period. I can't do it; I struggle eating enough as it is, esp with the lockdown - it's a lot of extra planning and spoons that I won't be able to find.

But I've had similar feelings before, the Folk saying "we do not sow or reap, we take", and agriculture being specifically associated with mortals - whereas the Good Folk have fruits and meat, and possibly dairy (am I remembering this correctly? Either fairy cattle, or fairies wanting to do stuff with your cattle all the time) - but never wheat.

& this fits into some other stuff I'm doing, like wheat == Solar == mortal, associated with the rising and falling of the year and things which themselves rise and fall (the Good Folk are Lunar - they wax and wane from strength to strength, but do not die), and that bread-baking is a very Solar activity.

But I'm wondering if this lore actually comes from anywhere. Anyone have examples of the Good Folk interacting with wheat, or know where I might have got this "don't eat wheat" concept from?

Also welcoming simple ideas for lunches, breakfasts and dinners which don't include grain...

Comments

[annofowlshire]

The only ritual I do consistently involves offering of flour and water, so I’m not much help on that regard. ^_^

But in terms of simple ideas for meals that don’t include a grain—almost any meal is still a meal if you don’t add the customary starch of the “holy trinity” of western meals. Or substitute potatoes, yams, Jerusalem artichokes, or suchlike.

But a salad is nice, and can be a meal if you add some protein (meat, eggs, cheese, nuts), I regularly eat curries and stir fries without the rice.

While cheese may not quite work, I’d suggest that if you’re avoiding human agricultural originated foods, then eggs are still legit—animals steal bird eggs all of the time. If you’re being really serious about avoiding grains (I have celiac friends), check the ingredients on sauces as a lot of them tend to have wheat in the mix.

[ilthit]

Maybe it's less "don't eat wheat" and more "don't eat wheat in connection to ritual or offer it up"? You could at least do that, since avoiding it entirely is not feasible.