Roouddan

The roouddan was a red turnip-like vegetable. It was colloquially known as the "red turnip of Proskur".

It grew around the Sea of Fallen Stars, and was a staple food of peasants. It could be used as a thickener in stews and as a base for livestock slop mashes.

It kept long and well when protected from heat and the sun, as well as resisting rot and being edible when raw. Normally, roouddans were absorbent, and could not be grown in dry climates. As they absorbed water, they could also be induced to take on flavors by soaking it in spiced water or broth.

It was used as a means of smuggling by Mathym Jalander. A normal means of smuggling would be to hide a single vial of wine within bulk food, but with some experiments, Jalander was able to exploit the vegetable for smuggling itself. Jalander discovered that these turnips could absorb wine and hold it without leaking, and treated to prevent hounds from sniffing the contraband. The vegetable could then be crushed to extract the wine. However, the wine stored in the turnip didn't store well in skins or kegs, and thus it needed to be bottled. Due to the smuggling, Jalander was estimated to have a personal wealth approaching 5 hundred million gold pieces.