What did the 🧝Elves eat?

[Manwe]

Lembas is of course a given

But I can't recall Elves engaging in agriculture, managing livestock, or cooking.

Since they live in the forest, maybe they were hunting game? 🤔

 

[Vorondil]

Well the dwarves interrupted the elves' deer hunt, in The Hobbit. So we know they eat venison.

 

[Tyelkormo the Fair]

Blood of the kin.

 

[Server Room Gremlin]

Some elves at least grew the particular grain needed to make lembas. So I don't see why they wouldn't be growing other ordinary crops and trees.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

The same question could be asked about other peoples -- the Rohirrim, for example. They couldn't eat grass, and they'd need fencing to keep horses out of cropland, but as far as I recall no mention is made of any such arrangements.

In a letter, Tolkien said he was well aware of the various practical necessities of life in his world; he just couldn't include everything!

 

[Radaghast]

In the chapter "Three Is Company" Gildor and company prepare food, "heaped on plates and dishes" for the hobbits and, presumably, for themselves as well. Though it's not described, Frodo considers it "good enough for a birthday-party."

 

[Tar-Elenion]

Lembas is, being the purview of the highest female of an Eldarin realm, very special, and is not something that would just be passed out as a snack.

In Laws and Customs among the Eldar, Tolkien writes (of the Noldor in particular):

"The nissi are more often skilled in the tending of fields and gardens..." - Morgoth's Ring, LQS

Tolkien writes, in Note on Elvish Economy:

"The Kingdom of Doriath was a woodland realm, and had only a little open ground, except on its east borders where they kept some small kine and sheep. Beyond the Girdle of Melian (eastward) there was much open land (prairie) of wide extent. The Sindar (E. Sindar) not under the rule of Thingol dwelt and practiced not only cattle-rearing and sheep-farming, but also grain-growing and other food crops; on which they prospered because both Doriath west and the Dwarves east were ready to buy what they could." - Nature of Middle-earth

So, in addition to hunting, Elves also kept herds of food animals and grew crops.
(One could presume fishing too with those on the coasts and such).

---

For Rohan:

"‘They bring fire,’ said Théoden, ‘and they are burning as they come, rick, cot, and tree. This was a rich vale and had many homesteads. Alas for my folk!'" - LotR, Helm's Deep

Which, at least, implies some sort of agriculture, in addition to herding.

 

[Deimos]

 

[Fingon_Findekáno]

There was an interesting detail in the chapter “Of Túrin Turambar” from The Silmarillion, and its equivalent from The Children of Húrin. It mentions how lembas, or waybread, was a special gift belonging to the Queen, and it was her right alone to keep and give it to whomever she chose.

But Melian said: ‘A gift you shall now have of me, Cúthalion, for your help, and your honour, for I have none worthier to give.’ And she gave him a store of lembas, the waybread of the Elves, wrapped in leaves of silver; and the threads that bound it were sealed at the knots with the seal of the Queen, a wafer of white wax shaped as a single flower of Telperion. For according to the customs of the Eldalië the keeping and the giving of this food belonged to the Queen alone. ‘This waybread, Beleg,’ she said, ‘shall be your help in the wild and the winter, and the help also of those whom you choose. For I commit this now to you, to apportion as you will in my stead.’ In nothing did Melian show greater favour to Túrin than in this gift; for the Eldar had never before allowed Men to use this waybread, and seldom did so again.

-Quote from “Túrin Among the Outlaws” in The Children of Húrin (bolded emphasis mine)

Here, lembas is a precious commodity, something highly valued as a gift from the Queen and not just eaten willy-nilly. It was a significant moment when she gave lembas to Beleg to act in her stead, giving it out to whomever he chose, and more so because the implication was he would be allowed to share some with Túrin, which was unheard of previously for any Man to eat of it.

I also gather from this the Eldar in general did not eat waybread as a part of their regular daily meals, and most likely none of the Calaquendi (Vanyar, Noldor, Teleri) ever had it (especially not the great majority of Noldor Exiles). The Sindar would maybe have had it on special occasions, but only as the Queen decided to give. It seems to be meant for specific purposes, such as sustenance during long travel, and not so much as just a quick snack during the day as you go about normal business.

I do not know if any of their customs changed regarding this up through the time in LOTR (likely not), but knowing this detail about lembas now, it makes the gift of Galadriel to the Fellowship that much more meaningful. It was a Queenly gift to grant them such waybread as she did, and a rare one at that too, since the quote above mentions it was seldom ever again given to anyone besides Elves after her generosity towards Túrin.

Once in Middle Earth, Galadriel stayed in Menegroth most of the time with her kin, and in the company of Melian for much of it. She likely learned all about the customs and value of waybread from Melian, and carried the tradition on with her into Lothlórien.

 

[Tar-Elenion]

Here, lembas is a precious commodity, something highly valued as a gift from the Queen and not just eaten willy-nilly. It was a significant moment when she gave lembas to Beleg to act in her stead, giving it out to whomever he chose, and more so because the implication was he would be allowed to share some with Túrin, which was unheard of previously for any Man to eat of it.

This is correct, though, as I noted above, it is the ranking female of an Eldarin realm:
"Since it came from Yavanna, the queen, or the highest among the elven-women of any people, great or small, had the keeping and gift of the lembas, for which reason she was called massánie or besain: the Lady, or breadgiver."
PoMe, Of Lembas

I also gather from this the Eldar in general did not eat waybread as a part of their regular daily meals, and most likely none of the Calaquendi (Vanyar, Noldor, Teleri) ever had it (especially not the great majority of Noldor Exiles).

The Noldor and others never having it is not correct. Tolkien writes in Laws & Customs:
"Among the Noldor it may be seen that the making of bread is done mostly by women; and the making of the lembas is by ancient law reserved to them."
Morgoth's Ring

and:
"[Orome] brought as a gift from Manwë and Varda the seed of wheat, and instructed the Quendi in the manner of growing, harvesting, and storing it; but the grinding of flour, its kneading, and baking into (unleavened) “bread” was committed to the “bread-women”.
NoMe, The Making of Lembas, Text 1
and :
"“Waybread”: art taught by Oromë to the Three Elderwomen of the Elves. [...] when the Noldor came back they brought with them new corn – and [it] by a special grace of pity by Manwë and Varda did not fail and was still in vigour till the end of the First Age."
NoMe, The Making of Lembas, Text 2
(Tolkien goes on to note that Galadriel (a chief inheritor), Celebrian and Arwen were the last with the art (the seed only surviving in Lorien by the end of the Third Age), and after Arwen's death it was lost in Middle-earth.

 

[Fingon_Findekáno]

This is correct, though, as I noted above, it is the ranking female of an Eldarin realm:
"Since it came from Yavanna, the queen, or the highest among the elven-women of any people, great or small, had the keeping and gift of the lembas, for which reason she was called massánie or besain: the Lady, or breadgiver."
PoMe: Of Lembas

Ah, I must have either missed or not understood your mention of it earlier.

The Noldor and others never having it is not correct.

I see I have also misspoken in regards to this. I may own HoME, but I have had zero time to read it yet, and therefore I would not have been aware of all this. I only knew what I have read from SIL and CoH and made my own (apparently incorrect) assumptions. Thank you for sharing these quotes! Apparently lembas was far more prevalent than I thought.