Feasts and Flavour: How to Homebrew Your Worlds Food and Drink

Food and drink! Like it or not its the most important thing we need apart from air. So why is it that in most fantasy ttrpgs we come across the food and drink seems to be an afterthought. Too often do I hear GMs say things like;

‘you get an ale and are served some stew’

There is nothing wrong with this of course, but there is so much more that could be added to enrich this dialogue and worldbuilding to the next level to make your players really feel like they have stepped into a fully breathing world. Think about how much more engaging it would be if next time you went to the bartender she said

‘We have a few ales on offer, the nutty pale Kossic ale or even some of the stronger Haldir dark brew both local brews. I recently got an import of some fine Elphesian reds and a Duskvale purple should that peak your interest. Fraid all we got in the ways of food today is the pot luck on the boil but the wife says some rabbit and venision was tossed in it around lunch as well as some thick potatoes from the garden, oh and it comes with seeded hunk of bread, hows that sound?’

Now I hear what you are saying ‘why is this important?’ and yes dear reader that is a great question. It is important because it is in the mundanity and simplicity of every day life that we can find the greatest examples of worldbuilding genius. Elevating the food and drink in your world can bring your players a new level of unmatched immersion, what’s more you don’t need to be a food connoisseur or wine sommelier to bring this to life. Just look at the work of Scott Lynch in ‘The Lies of Locke Lamora’ who effortlessly creates enthralling and exciting dishes that add personnality and texture to his worlds.*

So here they are. My tips for adding a little flavour (pun intended) to your games along with some homebrew examples of this in effect.

Where does it come from?

First of all, think about where it came from, Are there limitations to availability or is there a unique climate and time of year that makes this dish extra good? Does it come from animal or plant or something else entirely? The joy of fantasy is we can create some crazy off the wall ideas and these ideas will all feed into one another. In the process of creating something new you can begin to work out how it ends up on a plate or the reverse.

In the spring months the Crested Flying Tummrain fish of Ocea climb up the raging rapids of the mountain waterfalls to make it to the sky lakes that sit above. Up there they breed and relax until the later months of summer where the rivers dry up. With no other way down the fish follow up with their namesake and take to the wind, gliding down the mountain to the sea below. For years the people of Ocea have made a festival of this. coming out in their hundreds to fire arrows up at the flying fish and take them down. They eat well the following weeks and have a variety of ways they serve this specimen, though the local favourite seems to be a lemon flavoured stew.

How does it fit with society?

Is it cultural, or even class based? How expensive or rare is it? In our own real world food and drink are readiliy available in different parts of the world and at different prices. How hard is it to get and how expensive will that make it? perhaps if it is extremely expensive it may have gained cultural renown like Caviar has in our own world. Working out where a food or drink fits in with society and culture will allow you to give it specific qualities or tastes.

Astervale ice wine is not something one gets to have often its true. The dark liquid swirls with enticing eddies of blue and silver. Harvested from the moontide vines of the incredibly rare Astervale vine. This wine induces a dizzying layer of tastes that seem to change as it flows down your throat. No wonder it costs nearly 50 gold Denri per bottle, with only the bright blue berries picked specifically to make this master brew.

Little do the nobles know that the dark black offshoot berries do quite as well as the rich blue ones that are chosen specifically for the wealthy. The Midnight wine as the poorer districts are like to call it is sweeter and darker than its more expensive counterpart but none the less delicious for all that.

Can you add anything more to make it more interesting?

How can you make it more interesting? are there specific properties this meal may have? Maybe its eaten in a specific way or has a certain effect when drank. Maybe you have to use a certain utensil to eat it with that people of this culture carry with them at all times just for this purpose.

Rescauxi lizards have a gland in their throat that is used to hold their most potent venom. venom alone can be ingested, of course, as long as you do not have cuts inside your body it can be done mostly safely. This has led the already dangerously inclined people of Sath to decide that Racauxi Venom would make the most delicious of sauces. This is paired with the fact that when you combine the venom with the Sathian green flame pepper you get the bizarre reaction of shutting off most of the human bodies pain receptors as your extremities grow numb then buzz with pleasant warmth. This is all bar your mouth and throat which will burn to all high heavens and beyond. that is as well… to say little of the bathroom visits to follow.

Finally!

My final tip is to find inspiration in the real world and in history. If your world is based on medieval Russia then look up some of their meals and figure out how to put a fantasy spin on them. This will also give you plenty of ideas for flavour and more as you grow to learn more about the type of food a certian climate may produce.

And there you have it, my tips for bringing lore to the food and drink of your world. I hope you found this helpful and stick around for more blog entries just like this.

*this is not endorsed by any of these writers I just adore their work