imaginary food

[truepenny]

Talk to me about food in fantasy. (And science fiction, if you like.)

Readers, what kinds of details do you like to see? What makes a culture's eating habits come alive for you?

Writers (oh, please, writers, you're my only hope), how do you go about inventing cuisines and delicacies and what the street vendors sell? Especially when you are not relying on the old trick of, "I'll make this culture !Japan or !India or !France." How do you figure out what people eat?

Comments

[cattraine.livejournal.com]

What they eat depends on where they live. If they live in a delta or on the coast --lots of shellfish and fish. If they live high in the mountains, what kinds of herds do they maintain? Goats? Sheep? Do they import a lot of dried and preserved food? Are they on the Plains? Grain and cattle, buffalo etc. Do they have religious constraints to what they eat?