Salawi life and homes

What are Salawi homes like? Were there specific things that would be common to them? What foods would Salawi eat? What are common snacks they would have? Sorry for all the questions. Thanks.

Salawi buildings vary based on their function and their location, in addition to the wealth of the family living in them. The most common building type, whether for homes or shops, is a rectangular mud-and-wattle structure, typically with a roof made from thatched grass or thickly layered palm leaves. The simplest versions of these buildings are constructed directly on the ground, but sturdier types will have a foundation made from slabs of stone (in the interior) or reef coral (on the coast). These buildings make up the majority of ordinary structures in any Salawi village, town, or city.

In larger towns and cities, most shops and dwellings will still be mud-and-wattle, but the city center often contains much larger and fancier masonry structures. Public buildings tend to be built from coral or stone, often with clay tile roofing or even domes. The wealthy families that tend to cluster in compounds near the center of the city also favor masonry construction for their main dwelling, but may have smaller wattle outbuildings too. As in much of the rest of the caliphate, multi-story buildings aren't uncommon, but Salawi do favor single-story construction noticeably more than the other peoples of the caliphate.

Salawi food includes many dishes common to the rest of the caliphate, but Salawi have a great love for spices (both "hot" spices and simply flavorful ones), so even standard Sirdabi dishes tend to take on a more exotic taste when cooked by a Salawi. Even in the Zalawi interior there is a great taste for fish, with river and marshland fish popular where fresh-caught marine fish are unavailable. Fish kebabs are very popular, especially when mixed with the tropical fruits that Salawi also enjoy. Coconut and various sauces made using coconut are widely used in cooking as well, and mahani -- puffed millet shaped into cakes sweetened and stuck together with honey and date syrup -- is a very popular dessert that originated in Zalawi. Overall Salawi cooking combines elements of Sirdabi, native east Idiri, and Jalanit cuisine for a very eclectic and flavorful style.

For inspiration, real-life Swahili cuisine is the closest to Salawi, so there are some good resources for that on the web. One thing to keep in mind here, though, is that very nearly all New World foods are unavailable and unknown in our region of Avaria. So that means, just for starters, no potatoes, tomatoes, chili peppers, corn, or peanuts! There are zarza beans, which can be used a little like peanuts, and naskiri, a somewhat chili-pepper-ish plant that grows across southern Idiri and some parts of Jalanjhur. So those could be some substitutes to make certain dishes (like naskiri-flavored curry!)