Cooking in Doliwec

Being located so far north, and on mountainous islands too, food scarcity has been a problem through the ages for the people in Doliwec. The short growing season, and the migration of prey makes it of utmost importance to be able to store food for long periods of time.This is true for every country that has harsh seasons, but the people of Doliwec has taken this to a whole new level.

History

People first arrived in what is today Doliwec only a few thousand years ago, it was the last corner of the continent to become inhabited. They are closely related to the other groups of people in the north but has been more isolated through time than the others, which has given rise to a unique culture within the country that by some are seen as a more pure way of life, while others just call it primitive.

Storing food

Back to the food. One of the main downsides with Doliwec is the fact that trees are scarce. Therefore smoking and drying, something that has been popular in other northern countries, is not as viable an option here. But what has made it possible to not only survive but thrive here is the might Lodowech Zwier.
The lodowech zwier is an animal that only lives in the far north-west of Regerwa. Also known as the 'Beast of Icy Breath', or simply 'Ice Beast', it is a peculiar animal, it hunts for fish as its main source of food but is completely land living. What makes it unique however is the fact that it gives off cold. The air around them are always very, very cold, enough so that it is able to freeze water if the water is still enough and the beast is still.
The people of Doliwec has learnt to tame these beasts, something that wasn't too hard if you have a big supply of fish, and keeping them in barns from the harvest and until spring. They cool the air in the whole building allowing for people to store food in there for long periods of time. When the pantries are empty in the spring they let the beasts out to feed themselves until it becomes time to freeze food again.

Lodowech Zwier

This gentle beasts are only found in Doliwec, and a bit further east. They live on land but feed mostly on fish, some say that the fish meat is what makes them able to keep cooling the surrounding area. They hunt but laying in lure, watching the fish swim around or beneath them until one gets close enough where they strike with they tongue. Their tongue is long and has hulls that allows it to wrap around the fish and hold on to it while it swallows it whole.

To outsiders the ice beasts can seem very intimidating as they are very big, reaching up to two metres above the ground, and with their thick fur they look even bigger than they are. However they are completely non-hostile, probably due to their size as they don't have any natural predators in the area.