Luari Cuiseane

Yes, we know it's spelt 'cuisine'.

— punny article titler

The cuisine (or 'cuiseane', if trying to be funny) of the Luari Ocean is rather hard to define. It differs greatly between land-dwellers that live on the ocean's edge at the surface, other land-dwellers that live in the air bubbles Laminaeles provides, and sea-dwelling peoples from the well-lit epipelagic zone to the very depths of the haunting hadalpelagic zone. Thousands of beings, each with their own unique dietary considerations and concerns, cannot easily be summed up into one type of cuisine.
Yet: to give a brief overview of the delights shared in throughout the ocean and her borders, one must at least try to summarise.
Common to almost all intelligent creatures of the ocean is the element of preservation. The sea's brine is harsh on food that is to remain edible, and even in areas protected by Orbs of Vātara, it is often a challenge to keep food fresh for long periods. Combined with the challenge of obtaining foodstuffs in the first place, for sunlight only reaches down so far and many undersea plants are inedible, protecting food becomes a priority. Pickling and salting become necessities, as do preservative wraps.
In the northeast, off the coast of Xin-Jiyu, sushi and other similar dishes - where seaweed is used as protection and for both texture and flavour - became popular in the time of the Meihuan Empire. In the northwest, where the icy waters of Iskaldhal crawl into the depths of the sea, salt and fermentation are more heavily relied on. The bitter cold aids with preservation, but something must be done to keep the brine of the sea out of certain dishes.
The warmer waters of the south, especially in the sunlit areas, do not struggle so much for food. The plentiful islands and flourishing populations of plants and life in the sun's warmth lend themselves to a far more vibrant and varied diet, and many island cultures have formed symbiotic relationships with nearby undersea settlements whereby fruits and grain are traded betwixt the two. These connections, long ago, allowed undersea cultivation to gain a far bigger hold, and many undersea farms still use foods descended from these early gifts.

Undersea Feast by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Primary Related Location

Luari Ocean

Important Locations

• Krtajala

Related Organizations

• Laminaeles

Common Meals

North-Western

Fermentation Station by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Beneath the sheets of ice, we carve out an existence in the cold. Mostly. We like to go on holidays too.

— oceandweller

Common meals in the north-west reflect the cuisine of nearby surface-dwellers like the Vaeltajat. Diets heavily rely on blubber, seaweed, and hardy coldwater plants that still produce some small fruits in the frozen wastes. Some undersea communities in the most frozen of depths are able to grow various grasses, berries, fireweeds, and roots alongside more standard seaweeds and sponges to offer their cuisine more distinct tastes.
These isolated communities still rely heavily on hunting to survive, however, and their meals heavily revolve around whales and fish as a result. Seals and walruses are also welcome parts of the undersea diet, but are often found too close to the surface to be worth seeking.
It is not uncommon for the communities in these distant areas to migrate in autumn to warmer waters, seeking nourishment that does not exist so strongly in the cold. The stripped-down diets of the freezing waters do not give enough vitamins for many underwater beings, and trade can only bring so much fruit and food from afar - a migration grants the chance to warm up and feel alive, and avoid the lurking fear of scurvy or other deficiencies.

North-Eastern

We find a way to use everything we have! We aren't rich in everything, but we have enough!

— cheery oceandweller

In less frigid depths, more variety in dining is gladly welcomed. Unlike their frozen neighbours, dwellers of the northeastern Luari enjoy great access to large varieties of fish and prawns, and have far less trouble growing wide swathes of underwater crop. Halophyte crops - saltbushes, turtleweed, quailbush, glasswort, and shawlsnare amphyllum, among many others - grow easiest in the warmer waters, though some (like shawlsnare) can still be found in the icy northwest.
Meals, then, begin to reflect the surface in their taste, though undersea cuisine is still unique in its strong salinity and the layers of protection around each meal. Common meal preparations include soaking prawns in alcohol, stewing mollusks in strong umami sauces, wrapping creations in seaweeds, and flavouring everything with a pleasant (if often spicy) blend of undersea herbs and spices.
Results are said to be very unique, and most comparable to nearby surface cuisine due to the influence of the Meihuan empire. Still, the undersea equivalents have many of their own twists and charms.

Prawn Dish by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Southern Waters

Wild and Wonderful by Hanhula (via Midjourney)

Come, visit! We have so much to share! It's probably good! Well, if you like fish!

— excitable mermaid

There is much to say of the cuisine of the south, for it is where the ocean's depths are warmest and life flourishes most. Indeed, the southern reaches have by far the widest and wildest arrays of oceanic cuisine, their meals ranging from spicy congee and coconut crab like their northeastern friends to mango salsa, seaweed lumpia, fish sinigang, sea urchin soup, curried scallop bananas, taro cakes, and many, many more wild and wonderful dishes passed between the seas and their land-dwelling friends.
Ingredients are both grown on land and under the sea, with many southern aerospheres of Laminaeles taking advantage of their surroundings to create pockets of purified water, in which water-based crops can grow as if in freshwater. Wild rice, lotus, lettuce, soybeans, cranberries and a vast amount of other aquatic and surface plants can be grown in these areas, both for direct consumption and for use as herbs or spices. These are combined with more traditional sea crops, such as the huge variety of seaweeds, seagrasses, and sponges, to grant easy access to an expansive palate.
Notably, this is also where fish grow largest. The fish trade between undersea and island nations is incredibly strong - undersea traders bargain far larger fish with their islander neighbours, and in turn, receive commodities rare to the waves. These relationships are held sacred between communities, and interference from foreign actors is never appreciated.

Luari Depths

Dining in the very darkest depths... There is little to say. All that lives there either consumes all else down there, or receives aid from above.

— researcher from Krtajala