Mastering food and drink production in dwarf fortress requires selecting appropriate plants, managing seed stocks, and catering to each dwarf’s dietary needs. The unit screen++ (z key) offers a detailed inventory of foodstuffs available for production.
To help reduce manual labor requirements, create input and output stockpiles for food and drinks (for instance, a custom food stockpile near the still). However, remember that these may become susceptible to withering and predation by vermin.
Plants
Food supplies for large fortresses rely heavily on plants as a food source, with one surface or underground plot efficiently producing enough to keep everyone fed. Furthermore, plants are incredibly versatile, providing edibles and textile materials like clothing dye. Some plants can even be brewed into drinks for additional nourishment, while further processing yields other end products per plant, such as Pig Tail or Dimple Cap caps.
For successful plant cultivation, seeds must first be purchased from traders, gained through brewing, or collected using quarry bushes around your fortress. Enlisting the aid of an experienced farmer will enhance early yields considerably.
Seeds may be stored either in an exclusively food stockpile or barrels linked directly to the still through the Stockpile tab of the work orders menu. Barrels provide more flexibility for managing multiple beverage types at once.
To maintain total food stocks, designate a distinct area for plant gathering and limit the number of dwarves performing this labor to three or fewer. Also, keeping food and beverage stockpiles separate effectively prevents them from becoming overburdened with plants before they can be processed into edible material.
Meat
Dwarves can supplement their food grown at their fortress with meat from hunting and butchering animals, although it should be remembered that such sources will likely be eaten up more quickly than plants; domesticated animals are typically known to produce more significant amounts of meat than wild ones.
Butchering an animal rewards dwarf dwarves with bones, which can be utilized in various ways. Keep in mind, however, that each butcher can only kill so many corpses daily; this limits how much meat your fortress can get from this process.
Alcoholic beverages like ale and wine require specific plant species, so stock enough of the correct seeds to continue making these drinks. Additionally, if your fortress runs short on barrels, using your carpenter’s workshop or metalsmith’s forge might be worthwhile to produce more. A refuse stockpile should always be available so dwarves can dispose of animal carcasses or flesh that has become decayed – this will reduce disease while protecting their diets from being polluted with vermin-infected food sources.
Fish
Fish is safe to eat raw, making them an excellent nutrition source for vegetarian dwarves. In addition, like plants, they can also be prepared into meals in a kitchen, and cooked dishes often increase the chances of preference by dwarfs.
Fish can provide more than food – they’re also helpful when trapping animals! A dwarf may use trapping techniques alone to catch vermin, but using bait would likely prove more efficient.
Food and drink are integral to a fortress, yet production costs can be prohibitive. By having dedicated stockpiles for each type of edible item, stockpiling will help mitigate this expense and give fort commanders peace of mind that their troops have plenty of sustenance at their fingertips.
It is wise to grow a wide array of crops from an early stage to ensure a steady food source. Seed-producing plants like wild strawberries and England grass are particularly effective at this task; dried herbs are also invaluable, as they can be used in cooking and brewing processes.
Drinks
Drinks are integral to their food chains because dwarves are always thirsty. Though they can still exist without drinking water if forced, their employment and health will suffer as they are more prone to illness while working underground (and elsewhere). One way to provide your dwarves with drinks is cultivating plants aboveground, which produce fruit that can then be turned into wine or beer, or gathering honey from beehives, which can then be fermented into mead.
Alcohol is one of the essential dwarf foods; it helps satisfy thirst while inspiring happy thoughts to increase and boost their morale. But too much alcohol consumption should not replace water consumption; too much can lead to alcohol poisoning, which leads to unconsciousness and death.
Dwarves can access the water by drilling wells and pumping it to the surface via fluid systems or gathering shrubs. Food sources include meat, fish, and crops eaten directly or from caravans, as well as drink and other meals cooked at home; their status screen shows these groups accurately.