Climate variance creates unique products and production methods; wine in warm climates and stockfish production techniques in cold environments being examples to date in Mercatorio.
Trade can often be driven by what's easier or cheaper to produce in certain locations than others, which climate plays a large part in. An example would be in fish preservation where certain northern locations allow users to dry it simply by leaving it outside in cold, dry air - this process has long been economic vitality as an article of trade since Viking times.
Hjell, or fish flake: an introduction
The Hjell (pronounced HELLL), also referred to as Fish Flake in Scandinavian countries, is simply a wooden structure used for hanging fish for drying and curing purposes. As various factors affect its outcome and quality can differ significantly, making high quality stockfish an increasingly sought after delicacy worldwide. Furthermore, living in northern towns offers northerners another cost-cutting way of producing regular cured fish without resorting to more costly salt-curing.
Wine has long been an essential trade commodity since ancient times. Grapes needed for high quality wines tend to thrive best in warmer climates and trade has long favored warmer areas over colder ones; thus the flow has often gone in the other direction from fish. Relatively affordable in southern countries but considered luxury by more northern ones; typically consumed as part of sustenance or prestige raising activities at banquets in Mercatorio while commoners will only consume small amounts when times are particularly auspicious.
There have been various new prestige raising production methods introduced recently, with banquets for top level banquets calling for wine from south and stockfish from north, along with hop beer and new product ham from these regions as luxuries; when prestige seeking players join in these activities new flows of trade need to occur that benefit both producers and transporters alike.
