Brachyur Culinary Arts

Cooking for the Brachyur

For those that call the sea floor home, nothing is as simple as it is on the surface. Eating, cooking, gathering foods, or even the simple process of moving takes time and energy that those that walk in the air will never understand. Because of this, everything that makes up a culture slows, becoming simpler as the struggle of life necessitates. For the Brachyur that live beneath the waves, the culinary arts are no longer something that one can invest in, but a necessity that must be as quick and easy as possible.
While other races of the water may invest greater time and effort into their cooking, the Brachyur have chosen to live a life dictated by necessity, not one of excess. The pressures of the ocean floor along with their claws make many simple tasks more difficult, adding time when time is already precious. These people have many duties to fulfill and taking the time to create elaborate meals is not something they have chosen to do.
The culinary techniques of the Brachyur are extremely simple to utilize, but only if one lives in the same conditions as these people. Special ingredients are often used that exist nowhere else in the world and require a seasoned hand, or claw, to complete. Of all the people of the world, the Brachyur are the definition of simple yet fulfilling their needs perfectly when it comes to their cooking.

Cuisine

Geography and available flora and fauna heavily change what types of cuisines are prevalent in a certain area with some areas being more difficult to survive in than others. Brachyur live in one of the most desolate locations in the world and have very limited resources when it comes to available materials for food. Their somewhat nomadic lifestyles also make it difficult to invest time into creating cuisines that would be considered high-end or fancy.
While not a lazy people, Brachyur tend to make dishes that require little to no preparation or cooking. Open fires are not possible in their homelands, meaning the only source to cook a meal is over the thermal vents that can be found across the sea floor. Steamed fish or shrimp is often eaten, but these types of dishes are often closer to sushi than anything cooked.

Travel Snacks

Because of their lifestyles, Brachyur tend to invest their time into creating foods that can easily travel within their shells over long distances while also being fairly quick and simple to create. These foods must also be able to be created with a claw, which somewhat limits what can be made in the moving waters of the ocean floor. Because of this, the most common travel foods are Algae Bubbles and Shrimp Rolls because they fulfill all criteria that Brachyur search for in a food source.

Algae Bubbles

Algae Bubbles by Image via Midjourney, created by Riverfang

A culinary specialty of the Brachyur, Algae Bubbles are a gelatin-based pod full of a delicious liquid that can be easily kept within a shell for a sweet treat or as a bit of sustenance on a long trip.

Algae Bubbles

Algae Bubbles are simple snacks that are made with algae-based gelatin, a specialty of the Brachyur. These treats can be a great source of sustenance or a sweet treat after a long day of travel as they can be filled with a variety of flavored liquids. Some Algae Bubbles are also filled with tidbits of shrimp and other solid foods to add to the taste and texture of the bubble.
Gelatin made from algae is something that has only been accomplished by the Brachyur and is a close-kept secret of the people. Other water-dwelling races have attempted to create their own versions of the treat, but no successful attempts have been made. Making the Algae Bubbles is a very secretive process, one that is often passed down among the Anomukin as they are the keepers of the histories, but this treat is a favorite of all Brachyur.

Shrimp Rolls

Shrimp Rolls are another common favorite of the Brachyur but cannot last as long when kept in a shell. These simple rolls are made from seaweed, shrimp, and any other ingredients that one may have. While it is more common to steam these rolls over the thermal vents found on the sea floor, one can eat a Shrimp Roll without cooking it.
The Brachyur also enjoy sushi similar to the Lutrines of the surface, but Brachyur more frequently use shrimp than other meats that can be found in the ocean. Fish are not as prominent near the sea floor and few Brachyur choose to swim upwards to gather other ingredients.

Related Ethnicities

• Brachyur Culture

Common Ingredients

Brachyur are rather selective of their ingredients and often only use a handful of what is available to them. Seaweed, algae, and shrimp are the most common ingredients.

Seaweed

Seaweed is great for wrapping other ingredients in to make a mobile dish that can travel. This plant takes a bit of time to grow so the Brachyur tend to only use seaweed for their best recipes.

Algae

Algae is easy to gather but the Brachyur are specific when it comes to which colors of algae they gather. This is also a great snack for them with little to no preparation.

Algae

Algae by James Lee on Unsplash

Algae comes in a variety of colors near the sea floor but some algae is better tasting than others. The Brachyur tend to prefer algae that is shades of green as it often has the most nutrients.

Shrimp

Shrimp is often the only meat that Brachyur use unless their travels force them higher in the ocean. A great number of shrimp live near the sea floor allowing for a plentiful and protein-rich food source.