Common Foodstuffs

A pantry should never be left bare. The shelves should be overflowing, the casks full to the brim and the ceiling littered with hanging delicacies and treats. In the higher echelons this is an expectation and for the working class a goal to aim for.
The constitution of the dwarves is legendary amongst the races. Being able to consume foods that would otherwise poison or even kill others. A stomach that can only be matched by perhaps the the Frogfolk of the eastern swamplands.

A Typical Pantry

A well stocked pantry will vary from city to city. The availability of certain foodstuffs will vary dramatically based on geographical location, status of trade or simply the trends of the time for those that live there. However, a number of commonalities span across most cities and outposts regardless of these factors. Dried meats and herbs will hang from ceilings along with onions, turnips, beets, rhubarb and kale. Preserves, chutneys and jams are stocked in emerald glass jars that line cupboard shelves. Large kegs are stood upright and repurposed to hold grains, oats and pulses. Cheese wheels are commonly produced and filtered through the dwarven populace and are left to mature (The bluer the better). To increase the life of certain foods, pickling and fermentation can add a tang (and a few additional years) to items left over at the back of cupboards.

Karak'Thoon Pantry [PH] by OpenAI

Herbs, Spices and Additives

Dwarves love spiced foods. So much so that there is a microcosm of artisanal cooks that continually attempt to breed new forms of pepper with ever increasing levels of heat. Spice levels that could induce a coma amongst humans and the scent of which would outright kill an elf are commonplace. Most cities have a few artisans that have selectively crossbred breeds to produce the hottest peppers in the known world.
A variety of salts are readily available and put to good use. The subtle changes in flavour between a purple rock salt’s sweet undertones to an emerald salt’s more vibrant tang. Blacksalt is one of the more acquired with its bitter aftertaste but is wonderful in slow-cooked stews, soups and broths.
A common thickener, chalk, can be used to improve the texture of liquid based foods and jellies.
In some more extravagant pantries, the presence of tree barks imported from the forests of the world can be grated to add a rich earth tone to any meal.

The Sheer Versatility of Shrooms

Giant Fungi [PH] by OpenAI

A true staple of society. Fungi of all kinds are easily grown in environments devoid of natural light. The presence of nutrients only increases the speed of growth and the size rather than being a requirement. If provided with enough time or if efforts are taken to cultivate them, most breeds of fungi can grow to great sizes.
A huge variety of mushrooms and fungi are either dried, fermented or turned into paté. Mycelial webbing is dried and stored in crates, ready to be rehydrated and turned into noodles. Weeping Fungi sap can be collected and used either raw as a cordial or can be concentrated into a jam-like spread or stock. Sweetsnap mushrooms, named for their taste and sound created when ‘snapping’ the cap from the stalk, can be used as a sweet additive to a number of desserts or dried fruits. More porous mushroom breeds such as the Squishroom can absorb liquid to essentially be able to carry around a snack and a drink rolled into one.
Mushrooms, in some of the cities, are seen as great alternatives in place of meats and pulses. This is usually the case for city states that sit far lower than their counterparts.

Beverages and Distillations

Ales and Stouts created from blends of herbs, spices, hops and either sugar or starches are a foundational building block to dwarven society as a whole. To the point that even military rations are equipped with ales as a basic dwarven right to consume an ale a day. Dwarves are often weaned off of their mothers and onto ale as a far safer alternative to aquifer water. Although aquifers are largely safe due to centuries of filtering through rock, you can never be entirely sure that a goblin hasn’t taken a leak or bled into the reservoir. It is recommended that ale is consumed until the immune system of a newborn is fully established.
Sweetsnap Liquor is able to be distilled from Sweetsnap mushroom caps using their natural sucrose content. The liquor produced is a dull burnt red colour, slightly clouded and less dense than water. The taste is slightly sweet with an aftertaste that singes the throat slightly for a warm and refreshing tipple.
Morred Wine is a beverage produced from crushing and fermenting glowshrooms. It has a dry and slightly sweet fruity taste and if left to mature, the flavours are greatly enhanced. If left to mature in this manner, the bioluminescent properties of the mushrooms are allowed to increase with time. When exploring a pantry, a laydwarf could easily mistake a fine vintage of this wine for a simple lantern. The quality of this wine is often measured by the vibrance of its luminosity.
For those not looking for alcohol, tea is the beverage of choice. It can be consumed hot or cold and can be prepared and kept for long periods of time.

Inedible Consumables

Tobacco is something enjoyed by a large number of dwarves. Smoked from pipes, hookahs or papers, it is enjoyed in a variety of ways. A number of different plant leaves are regularly imported through surface cities such as Bakan’Grod and then turned into tobacco. Lavender, hops, sage, ivy, rosemary, nightshade and rhubarb are among the most popular blends and flavours widely available.

Dwarven Cuisine as Experienced by Outsiders

In the rare instances that a member of the humans, elves, orcs or frogfolk have been allowed to enter a great dwarven city, great care has to be taken in order to avoid accidental lethal poisoning. When outsiders are given food on these visits, it is often incredibly bland to err on the side of caution. As such, the dwarves have developed a stigma around their cuisine as being tasteless, bland and unimaginative. This clearly could not be further from the truth, but the proud dwarven race do not care for the opinions of others.

This article was created for my first World Ember - I hope you enjoy my writings and I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback!