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