Welcome back to Delicious Horror: Silk & Sinew edition! Today, we’re chatting with Ayida Shonibar. I’m very lucky to have recently received an ARC of Silk & Sinew. I flipped to Ayida’s story earlier today and was hooked with the first line. Let’s learn more about the author and the story!

Ayida Shonibar (she/they) writes dark and wistful speculative fiction about misfits, monsters, mischief-makers. Spanning genres and age categories, their short stories, essays, and poetry have appeared in various publications, including If There’s Anyone Left, Wilted Pages (Shortwave Publishing), Luminescent Machinations (Neon Hemlock), Nature Futures, Night of the Living Queers (Wednesday Books), and Transmogrify! (Harper Teen), among others. You can find more information at ayidashonibar.com.

Title of story in Silk and Sinew:

“An Unholy Terroir”

Tell us briefly about your story and/or the inspiration behind it:

My story defines monstrosity by the eye of the beholder. For many diasporic folks, identities are influenced by surroundings—including by people who may not understand, appreciate, or care about the contexts immigrants come from. When such perspectives turn into predominant sources of feedback regarding who someone is, these views become all too easy to internalise, to start considering unambiguously true about oneself. “An Unholy Terroir” is a diaspora story about the community environments that (literally) shape us, for better or for worse.

What did you decide to make to pair with the story, and what from the story inspired your delicious food or drink?

I made an abomination of a herbal tea—fruity blueberry, brewed in a style inspired by masala chai, served with a topping of cocoa and red chilli powder—and I enjoyed drinking it!

I often try mixing ingredients and preparation techniques based on things I like from various cooking traditions. Some of what emerges out of this process can only be described as monstrous. I love fruit teas from all over the world (some of my favourites are pomegranate and orange). I crave spice flavours that make me feel alive. I relish the smooth texture of milky chai. And I adore rich cocoa. The combination of these characteristics blends together perfectly to my taste.

This drink, I imagine, sounds quite off-putting to most people. It only works for me because I already like the individual components from their variety of sources. Every encounter I’ve had with each of them has entrenched the reasons I like them and developed my understanding of what about them appeals to me. Not all things I like fit together in a way I enjoy, of course, but these particular features do. And since my acquired tastes have grown out of the specific experiences I’ve had, they reflect my diasporic journey in a way that might not make gustatory sense to anyone else. That’s how this recipe matches my story in Silk & Sinew.

Can you share the recipe or a link to the recipe?

Ingredients

• ground cinnamon
• ground nutmeg
• ground clove
• ground green cardamom
• water
• milk
• blueberry herbal tea
• unsweetened cocoa powder
• red chilli powder

Steps

1. In a saucepan, add cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and cardamom to water. Bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat, add blueberry herbal tea and milk, and simmer briefly.
3. Sieve tea mixture and aerate/froth.
4. Optional: add additional aerated/frothed milk for a creamier texture.
5. Sieve cocoa and red chilli powder onto the tea as toppings.

Note: I use approximate quantities of ingredients based on personal taste rather than measuring them out. If unsure, try starting with 0.5 cup of water, 1.5 cups of milk, 1 teabag or equivalent loose leaf, and minimal spices and toppings. A higher water-to-milk ratio intensifies the flavour of the spices. Adjust amounts as needed.