Sutan Cuisine

CLIMATE: Temperate north holds considerable farmland. The interior and south are tropical jungle, with much of the soil enriched by volcanic ash. The western end of the con­tinent is an arid desert. The eastern peninsula is mostly covered by sub-tropical forest.
The north of Suto has significant farmland dedicated to growing wheat, corn and soybeans. Some pasture is maintained for small herds of cattle, and the coastal waters of the narrow sea teem with fish, which provide the main protein component of the northern diet. Sea salt is used to flavour and preserve, and salted fish and meat are traded regularly for spices from the Empty Quarter. Bread and beer are staples, along with corn and salad vegetables.
The Cuisine of the eastern peninsula is rooted in the culinary culture of the Petari, and is therefore high in protein but low in carbohydrates. Fish, seafood and especially shellfish make up the bulk of this protein. Salt and seaweed make for a very salty palate, tempered with corn and hot peppers.
The Empty Quarter has sparse plant life and few native animals. Most of the flora is succulent and scrub grass. Several species of hardy antelope, rodents and birds subsist in the desert. Between them, these make up the diet of the goliath sodalities of the Quarter. Dishes in the cuisine typically include succulents and a few tubers slow cooked in their own leaves, and meat spiced and grilled over the same fire. A startling number of the desert plants produce spices; the difficulty of harvesting from the deep desert adds to their value, and they are the Quarter's primary export. The scattered oases provide a small quantity of fruit and green vegetables.
The southern and interior tropical regions are mostly covered by rainforest or the mangrove swamps of the Ranai delta. Slash and burn farming produces subsistence quantities of rice and maize, while the jungle provides small quantities of fruit and small game. Herbs and spices are everywhere, but many plants in the region are toxic, so gathering must be done with care. Tapirs and peccaries provide meat, often served with fish as a kind of surf and turf. The staple carbohydrates of the region are breadfruit, maize and rice, the latter grown in terraces above the south-west coast, or half-flooded fields among the batteries of the delta.
Delta cuisine is mostly fish and fowl, and by Sutan stand­ards is lightly spiced. Savoury and dessert dishes alike are flavoured wth fruits, some sweet, others sour or acidic.