With the release of the Anniversary Edition (and the original mod), Survival Mode and mods like Frostfall took this concept and made it mechanical.

Cooking is no longer just for roleplay. Adding Fire Salts to standard stews (like Cabbage Potato Soup Apple Cabbage Stew

Here are some valuable tips for staying warm in Skyrim:

In a world of dragons and prophecies, the game allows you to curate your own peace. You can be the Dragonborn, the savior of the world, but you can also be the person who comes home to a warm fire and a stew after a long day of mining iron.

Why do players return to Skyrim after a decade? For the warmth.

“The fire calls to all of us, you know. Even the dragons.” — An old Nord saying.