D&D 5E What Do Dwarves Eat?

[BigVanVader]

In every edition of D&D I've ever seen, Dwarves are consistently shown to live in mountains and generally underground. Sometimes near to the surface, but sometimes they're shown to be deep, deep down in the dark. They collect gems, they're dedicated miners, so far so good.

But they're also shown to enjoy fairly mundane looking food, just large portions of it. They eat sausage and bacon, they eat bread, they love beer, and that's where it starts to get a bit hazy. Because, uhhh...where does all this come from? Do they raise pigs and grow crops underground? It would be cool to see a "farming room", where farmers go in and pluck potatoes and carrots from the dirt 'ceiling' above them, and it would also make sense if Dwarves relied heavily on trade with other races. It would explain why Dwarves seem to be considered a "common" race despite living at the center of the earth, playing pranks on sleeping Balrogs and whatnot.

But if they don't do their own farming, and if they don't trade with others, really, what the hell do they eat? Do they just eat fungus and worms? Do they hunt Drow and eat them, and just lie to the outside world that the Drow are "evil" for this reason? Do they just soak in minerals from rocks somehow?

What is going on with these little dudes?!

 

[TarionzCousin]

Fungus shaped like bacon, bread, potatoes and carrots. Mmmm: fungus.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

They eat Elves!
But mostly giant mushrooms, cave crickets, and other monsters. The various fungi are probably what their bread is made from. IMO.

 

[BigVanVader]

See, those answers are awesome, but in the D&D and Pathfinder books prior to 5th Edition, it's always assumed that they just eat regular surface food. Admittedly, I haven't poured over the Dwarves in 5th yet, so maybe I'm just making an assumption.

 

[Sunseeker]

It also begs the question of why a primarily underground-dewlling species isn't pale, doesn't have issues with the light ala Drow, or has body hair at all.

Honestly of all the races, the dwarves are probably the most internally inconsistent.

 

[BigVanVader]

It also begs the question of why a primarily underground-dewlling species isn't pale, doesn't have issues with the light ala Drow, or has body hair at all.

Honestly of all the races, the dwarves are probably the most internally inconsistent.

Maybe Dwarven 'magic' is really just tanning beds and Rogaine.

 

[cheops]

They trade, right?

 

[steeldragons]

Having spent the last few years living in a mountainous region, there is easily the possibility that they commute (or have more "outer" settlements to their deeper homes) that open out onto fields, pastures, lakes, etc... on the mountain tops, nearly (if not entirely) impossible for others to reach.

Pigs, sheep and goats (very hearty for/at high altitudes), even beef in some cases/larger areas. Milk is likely from goats. I would imagine dwarven made cheeses to be some of the best in the world. Poultry/eggs are a simple enough matter to trade for and keep them somewhere they can get some sun and scratch around every once in a while...but kept for the eggs, not the meat...often.

Farming, I think you're right about the tuber vegetables, and I would add a good deal of onion, leek and scallion/"spring onion", and beans and cabbages, the more savory/heartier herbs (thyme, rosemary, etc...), maybe some lavendar, mint, and edible flowers...mushrooms of all kinds are a given.

There are many secret, rocky yet green, beautiful places, high in the world that aren't necessarily always beneath snow. Dwarves, no doubt, know -if are not the originators- of any of these places within walking distance from their entrances, and use them to raise their food in relative security.

Maybe hunters are sent out for some deer and boar every now and again.

 

[DaveDash]

They eat ale. Strong ale.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

They eat the same things as an dragon in a 10' by 10' room: dungeon steak. A.k.a. cockroach.