Required Recipe Books:
Easy recipes (Palma, Bordeaux, Quest Reward --- the city's first Epicurean) 5000D
Livestock secrets - chapter of Pig [optional] (Porto) 8000D --- For Portuguese players
Livestock secrets - chapter of Sheep [optional] (Amsterdam) 8000D --- For Dutch players
Seafaring food (Lisbon) 7000D
Seafood of the North (London) 7000D
Fisherman's knowledge of fish storage (all major capital city) 5000D
Book of pharmaceutical preparations (Nantes, Malaga, Syracuse - Craft shop)
Book of Seasoning (Palma) 5000D
Required Skill:
Accounting (all major merchant jobs)
Food trading (food merchant, animal trader)
Livestock trading (food merchant, animal trader)
Seasoning trading (medicine trader)
Alcohol trading (accountant)
Industrial trading [optional] (mineral trader)
Cooking (food merchant, animal trader)
Handicraft (medicine trader)
Storage (food trader, fisherman, chef)
Fishing (fisherman, chef)
Either one of Procurement (fisherman, chef), Collection (fisherman, chef) or Search (basic Adventure Skill)
This type of cook combines fishing skill and cooking skill to specialize food dishes prepared using the fish caught at sea. The skill requirements and recipe requirements are much more extensive than other methods, but it does offer a different playing style.
It is essential to first change your job into a Chef from a job changing quest in Stockholm, requirements are level 5 cooking, 3000 trade fame. The quest is relatively easy to complete, simply hand in 200 Wine Steamed Cod, which can be purchased from the Clerk in Amsterdam.
If you do not have enough fame, ask a friend to help you out.
Level 1 - 5
Use the methods described in both the Portuguese and Dutch section above to reach level 5.
Level 5 - 7
(Wine + Halibut >>> Wine Steamed Halibut or Salt + Lumber + Herring >>> Smoked Herring; Wine + Cod >>> Wine steamed Cod)
Path A.
Camp on the sea outside Bordeaux, using the recipe Seafaring food from Lisbon, purchase Winefrom Bordeaux, catch Halibut outside of Bordeaux and make Wine Steamed Halibut. If you catch other fish use storage to make Fish
Path B.
Stock up on Wine from either Seville, Porto or Bordeaux. Travel to Bergen, and camp on the sea outside Bergen, using the Seafood of the North recipe from London, purchase Salt and Lumber from Bergen, and if you catch Herring, make Smoked Herring with Salt and Lumber. If you catch Cod, make Wine steamed Cod. Use storage to turn all other fish into Fish
Path A, is closer to Wine exporting ports, but you will get more fishing proficiency and cooking proficiency if you take Path B.
Level 7 - 10
(Salt + Lumber + Herring >>> Smoked Herring; Smoked Herring + Butter >>> Sautéed Smoke Herring)
Stock up on Butter from either London. Travel to Bergen, and camp on the sea outside Bergen, using the Seafood of the North recipe from London, purchase Salt and Lumber from Bergen, and if you catch Herring, make Smoked Herring with Salt and Lumber. The combine Smoked Herringwith Butter to make Sautéed Smoked Herring.
Level 10
(2 x Olive >>> Olive Oil, Olive oil + Salt + Tuna >>> Tuna Steak)
This is what you are waiting for. That dish costs under 500D to make and sells it 15k each. The dish recovers 80 vigour to all fleet and reduces fatigue by 48. It's the ideal food for soldiers, and you will never be short of a market.
Travel to Syracuse, buy Olives and Salt. Use the Seasoning Recipe book to turn Olives into Olive Oil. The recipe requires Handicraft at level 2, an easy way to get to level 2, is to purchase the Book of Pharmaceutical Preparations at Syracuse, travel to Naples, go outside, use either Search, Collection, or Procurement skill to gather Grass, use the Grass to make Basic Medicine, then returning to Syracuse when you reach level 2 in Handicraft.
Once you have a ship cargo of 50% Olive Oil and 50% Salt, sail to a small island just south east of Syracuse. Use the fishing skill to fish for Tuna (you need level 8 in Fishing) and make Tuna Steak with Olive Oil and Tuna.
Tuna can be fished just outside Syracuse or in the island directly north of Tripoli
This option is not recommended for starting out as a cook and is only really viable when you change into a Chef in Stockholm and have equipped yourself with booster items that add +1 to Fishing and Cooking, as well as a specialist cooking Aide.
Late Game
Required Recipe Books:
Caribbean Secret Dishes (San Diego, reward after 300,000D in investment)
Chef's Meat (Stockholm, reward after 600,000D in investment)
Livestock secrets - Birds Chapter (Calvi) 8000D
Required Skills:
Food trade (livestock trader, food trader)
Livestock trade (livestock trader, food trader)
Spice trade [optional] (spice trader)
Alcohol trading (accountant)
Cooking (livestock trader, food trader)
Handicraft (medicine trader)
Procurement [optional] (fisherman, chef)
Level 10 - 12
(Wheat >>> Flour; Flour + Fish + Cheese, + Seafood Pizza, Gratin with Cheese)
If you decide to specialize in Cooking in late game, it is advisable to first establish a Private Farm, level up your purchasing skills, especially Food trade, Alcohol Trade and Spice trade, as well as have level 5 in Handicraft to make Wine and Brandy.
In addition you want to have an Aide that adds +1 to cooking and food related Trade skills such as Livestock Trading, Food trading, Spice Trading or Alcohol Trading.
You also want to equip yourself with a +1 Cooking Item the Blue Butterfly Ribbon, which someone in the Guild would mostly be able to craft.
Use the level 10 recipes to level up to level 12, or use the booster items and Aide to get your cooking to level 12. Level 12 is a threshold, as you can make Wine Braised Lamb and Nuts served with Fish.
Level 12 - 14
(3 x Fish + Nut >>> Nuts served with Fish; Wine + Lamb + Rosemary >>> Wine Braised Lamb)
Path A
Use the Caribbean Secret Dishes to make Nuts served with Fish. Nuts can be obtained either through either Procurement in grassland Landing areas in Europe or from Private farms.
The recipe book is a reward from the Caribbean’s by investing 300,000D in San Diego. Fish can be purchased in large quantities in most European Ports.
Path B
The Chef's Meat recipe is acquired by investing 600,000 in Stockholm. Wine and Lamb can be purchased from Bordeaux and Nantes area, Rosemary can only be purchased from Valencia.
This method involves loading 80% of ships cargo with rosemary from Valencia, and sailing to Bordeaux and Nantes in the Bay of Biscay. Combining Wine and Lamb with Rosemary to produce Wine Braised Lamb
Level 14 - 15
(Chicken Meat + Garlic + Brandy >>> Roasted Garlic Chicken)
Using the Chef's Meat acquired from Stockholm, combine Chicken Meat produced either by butchering Chickens in Lisbon or from Faro. Garlic can be purchased from Malaga, and Spice Trading skill can come in handy here. Brandy can either be bought from Lisbon, or crafted from Wine using Handicraft skill (more on wine making in my Handicraft guide). Combine the three ingredients to make Roasted Garlic Chicken