Now that sounds intriguing. Care to elaborate?
Contrast how much is so obvious in Howard's Hyborian Age vs. Leiber's Nehwon (in which the Mingols and Fafhrd's northern barbarians stand out, but the latter have as I recall a matriarchal spin).
Now, part of this is that Leiber - along with Lord Dunsany, Jack Vance and others - often starts with satire that takes on a life of its own. One way it does that is by carrying through the supernatural and other elements that are notably different from Earthly starting points. The Street of Gods, and the gods of (vs the gods in) Lankhmar, for example.
With such a grab bag as D&D, deciding what
not to lump into a given world can also be significant. For instance, your world will stand out if it doesn't feature the usual set of Tolkien-ish races (dwarves, elves, halflings, orcs). Literary fantasy worlds tend to focus on certain conceits and inspirations.
Narnia: medieval Christian cosmology, but applied to a different creation; Talking Beasts; Classical and Norse mythological creatures. Calormen is very Arabian Nights, and the Telmarines are from Earth, but everthing gets a touch that makes it Narnian.
Earthsea: True Names; Polynesia; Taoism. Note that the technology and such don't stand out as Polynesian, nor is anything explicitly Taoist; other factors than the props are what work their way in.
Witch World: the Old Race; Gates; animal-human bonds (a Norton hallmark).
Young Kingdoms: the Lords of Chaos (and Law, and elements and beasts).
Recluce: another take on Order vs. Chaos
I think the fundamental real-world connection is perennial human nature. Cultural manifestations are rather parochial, familiarity leading us to regard as 'normal' things that may strike others as bizarre.