The Underdark Cuisine

When most of the things in the place where you live are either poisonous or venomous, or have some other aggressive means to protect themselves, one needs to get a bit creative. Who knows how many people have actually died through trial and error when it comes to what food The Underdark has to offer to its inhabitants.
The drows, who live deep in the depths of the Underdark, have perfected the dishes created from the Underdark's finest harvests. Some could be told about the cuisine of other inhabitants of the Underdark, like deep gnomes and deep dwarves, but what truly takes the first place is the dark elven experimental touch in the art of making things edible that weren't that before. Thus, this article will mainly concentrate on the dominating cuisine of the dark elves.

History

The traditions are ancient when it comes to drows and their way of preparing food. From the simplest food of a humble root vegetable farmer to the great banquet tables of a ruling matriarch, the flavor profiles are well thought and executed. They share a faint similarity with the cuisine of the surface elves due to their common ancestral heritage, but nowadays they are drastically different; whereas the high elven cuisine favors light, concordant flavors and odours, the drow cuisine is bold and almost rough in both smell and flavor.

Execution

Popular methods of processing food are boiling and grilling, and usually ingredients are treated in some way to make them easier to digest and less lethal to consume. The dark elves grow accustomed to their mildly poisonous food, which may cause several issues like nausea and hallusinations in those who have not gotten used to the food. The food is often heavily seasoned (partly to mask the otherwise bitter or appalling taste or smell of the ingredients) and the strong odours and bold flavours are an important part of the dining experiment. Things can be outright spicy, even spicy enough to act as deterrent for pests and beasts.

"Are you sure that's edible?"

Primary Related Location

The Underdark

Important Locations

• The Underdark

Related Ethnicities

• The Dark Elves