Dwarven Food Culture
Mountainous race
emphasis on vessels
limited agriculture
Kettles/teapots
bakeware
grown on mountaintops
heavy trade based economy
tea
hardy orchard trees
long lasting grains
dried pastas
dried fruits
dried meats
dried vegetables
mining and cave exploring
grown in darkness
Mushroom farms
monster parts as meat
salt mines
spices
wild cave mushrooms
starter plants that are then brought inside and "forced" in darkness
tea
Goblets
alcohol
tea as a cultural staple
nourishment
medicine
status
fruit juices
sprouts
cast iron
intricately molded metal
carved pottery
limited ability to raise animals
"raising" animals from afar [basically keeping the predator population down and keeping food readily available so that the population of the herd booms and they can kill a few without screwing the ecosystem]
mountain goats
bighorn sheep
hunting predators of their "flocks"
elk/deer
bears
wolves
coyote
wolverines
cougars
flavors
poison resistance means "spicy" to a dwarf is a high bar
dried chiles/peppers
heavy handed with flavors
rubyspice
rubyspice
dwarven tea has a high nutrient content that makes it a somewhat acceptable substitute for a meal
dwarves have a meal called "Tea" which literally is a pot of tea with some light snacks to go with it that fully counts as a meal
when combined with other ingredients, dwarven tea can have naturally healing properties without the use of magic
to grow/make your own tea is seen as a very high honor among dwarves, especially if your tea is extraordinary in some way, (taste, healing properties, etc)
high altitude beekeeping
with limited access to sugar and with high altitude honey being treated as a luxury, sweetness is rare
high altitude honey
trade for rock sugar
dried fruits/fruit juices
umami is incredibly important, as mushrooms and dried meats feature heavily in the cuisine
salt is readily available, and due to the high liquid diet, very widely used in dwarvish food
roots of plants
yo what if there were upside down farms, where you plant the seed on the surface and wait until the roots grow down into a cavern and harvest from there
a symbol of wealth, as fresh fruit is hard to come by inside a mountain
A function of the culture of dwarves
notable occupation for dwarves
proximity to the surface
trading
adventuring
craft houses
the wealthier a dwarf is, the more likely they will live close to the surface inside the mountain cities of the dwarves
wealthy dwarves are more likely to own surface farms/flocks, and will employ lower class dwarves to maintain their investments
wealthy dwarves will also sponsor craft houses to create the wares with which to serve their food, like getting custom plates for a restaurant
a particularly successful crafting house will often serve just one family for all of their needs, from bakeware to cooking and serving utensils to maintenance of knives and the like
less illustrious craft houses will cater to the needs of the people, and work on commission as well as trying to create the next big thing
adventuring is a lucrative occupation for a lone dwarf without much in the way of family, status or wealth
many adventurers become part of the upper echelons of dwarven society once they amass enough wealth or knowledge to come back and commission a new home for themselves
most then go on to create breweries or start farms or flocks on the surface, or sponsor craft houses
those dwarves with silver tongues but limited crafting skills become traders, leaving the mountain with crafts and teas and all manner of other sundries and returning with dried goods to feed their own families or to sell at a premium in markets.
traders
"shepards"
farmers
monster hunter
craftsman
smith
potter
miner
brewer
everyday magician
fermented tea
kombucha
kombucha left to ferment more will be alcoholic
builder
tea artisan
high altitude wealthy have flocks
low altitude wealthy have farms
grapes
crops
Notable absences
fowl
not really archers, dwarves, and chickens were never a huge staple, hard to keep happy underground
milk products
hard to milk a wild animal
candy
wealthy dwarves with land at the base of the mountains can grow crops to make alcohol which is then aged/fermented inside the mountain
guards
wine
cider
ale
eggs
equivalent to saffron, but with a uniquely dwarven flavor profile
Pots
soups/stews
dried ingredient mixes for soup stock
hotpot
spice mixes to flavor broth so that fresh ingredients can be cooked in broth and eaten
grinding beans/grains to make "milk"
limited to those with land on the surface
tea kettles are for heating water, and are generally more utilitarian than aesthetic.
tea pots are beautiful little works of art made to steep tea leaves
General Dwarven Culture
Religion
Society
The Book of Merit
The Book(s) of Merit is a ledger of almost holy significance to Dwarves and their culture. In it, dwarves of significant talent and status write their names, and are given new last names that befit their achievements. The more a family is written in the BoM, the more power they hold within society
Meritocracy
The Golden and Silvered Books
Golden
Silvered
The Golden Books of Merit are the ledger of Dwarves whos achievements and deeds are the most notable out of dwarves as a species. it is said that having your name in the Golden Books of Merit allow dwarves to enter into a vahalla like afterlife
Each predominantly dwarvish city maintains a silvered book of merit, which records the names and achievements of just those who live/lived within the cities walls.
Surfacer versus Deep Dweller
The Twin Gods
imported from other races
fermented vegetables from halflings
dried fruits from halflings/drakes
Family Structure
Courting Rituals
Aesthetic
Utility