The staple foods in Dal Shang are noodles and a tortilla- or pita-like basic bread called sapani. When the noodles are served with a sauce (as they usually are), they are called kesho--in Dal Shang the sauce is usually a spicy one with fish in it. Plenty of fish and shellfish are eaten in Dal Shang, and a fair amount of duck in the fall, but little red meat--it simply isn't readily available except salted or dried. There is some game, mostly venison, to be gotten from the Blue Hills, but the area is too populous for there to be many deer. Fish are usually fried (or made into rich sauces), shellfish are steamed or stewed most commonly, and ducks roasted. When venison or other fresh red meat is available, the cooks of Dal Shang will normally roast it as they do ducks. Those eating establishments that cater to gladiators may make it a point to stock red meat and prepare it in exotic ways (steaks, for instance), but the prices will tend to be high. The farms in the Blue Hills are mostly orchards, and nuts and fruits are plentiful in the markets and fairly cheap in season.

Wine is the common alcohol served with meals, usually heated. Dal Shang is noted for a fruit wine called Dalkesani, and for a brandy made from it called Dalkis, which is very potent; both are expensive. Whiskey, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, is found only in bars that cater to gladiators, since the local population has no taste for it. (Dalkis and other brandies are just as potent, and the Adantri prefer the flavors.)