Food Poisoning

Learn how to manage food freshness and avoid nasty Food Poisoning in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Discover cooking, smoking, and drying techniques to keep your provisions safe on long journeys.

Alright, so you're venturing out into the wilds of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, and you're gonna need to eat. Grabbing food is one thing, but actually keeping it edible is another. You can't just stuff a raw steak in your pouch for days and expect it to be fine!

Every piece of food you find or carry has a 'Freshness' stat, starting at 100%. As time passes, this stat drops. The lower it gets, the higher the chance you'll get hit with Food Poisoning when you decide to chow down. The game makes this pretty clear: if the Freshness number turns red, it's a bad sign. Generally, you should avoid eating anything that's dropped to 40% Freshness or below.

And trust me, you don't want Food Poisoning. It'll constantly drain your Health, and even a minor case can do some serious damage over time. If you do end up sick, your options are to either chug a Digestive Potion or just tough it out and wait for it to pass.

But don't worry, there are ways to keep your food from going bad so quickly! Most food spoils within two to five days, but you can prepare it to last longer, boost its Nourishment value, or both. You'll find stoves in most inns (usually near that complimentary stew), smokehouses, and drying racks scattered around. Honestly, drying racks are usually your best bet. Dried food practically never spoils, making it perfect for those long treks where you can't just pop back into town for supplies.

It's also worth noting that if you nab raw meat that's technically stolen, cooking, smoking, or drying it will remove that 'stolen' tag. So, processing your food isn't just about preservation; it can save you some trouble too. Just remember, unless you've picked up specific perks, processing food doesn't actually improve its Freshness stat. If you cook, smoke, or dry boar meat that's at 75% Freshness, it'll still be at 75% Freshness afterwards, even though it'll now last longer.