A Guide to Klingon Cuisine

Table of Contents:

Introduction

Terminology:

General Terms

Animals & Animal Parts

Fruits & Vegetables

Dishes & Preparation

Beverages:

Alcoholic

Non-Alcoholic

Desserts

Etiquette

Credits

Introduction

A Klingon's high metabolism makes eating and drinking an important activity and a Klingon meal may consist of 4-5 dishes ("nay'mey"). Klingons take great pride in their recipes and Chefs guard them vigorously. It is a misconception that Klingons eat all their food raw or even live. Many recipes involve cooking and elaborate preparations. The equipment needed for preparation of Klingon food is minimal, consisting of pots/vats plus cutting and stirring implements. Obviously most Klingon food consists of animal matter; although plant matter is used frequently in food preparation (i.e. seasoning) it seldom forms a dish in its own right.

Terminology: (plurals can be indicated by the use of either –mey or –Du’. Although –mey is more common)

General Terms:

'aqnaw: all-purpose knife that seems to be able to cut through practically anything'atlhqam = fungus

baghenQ: spoon

Bal: jug/jar/bottle - used to store liquid (usually liquid from bal is poured into HIvje' (beverage container), but it is not considered uncivil to drink directly from the bal) holds cook's ever-present supply of chanDoq (marinade)

bargh: most frequently used pot - large with a flattened bottom

blQ: water [water is used as a symbol of weakness and distain]

bo'Dagh: scooping implement similar to a garden trowel, used to remove food from a pot

chab/chabmey: pie/pies, tart/tarts or dumpling/dumplings

chanDoq: a marinade

chanDoq jeD: thick marinade, sauce

chech: be drunk, intoxicated

chop: bite

choptaH: gnaw/continually bite - reference to how nuts are eaten

chom: bartender (vutwI' may mix drinks in small restaurant)

chuch: ice

chuvmey: leftovers

Dargh HIvje': teacup

DuDwI': mixer, a stick used for stirring (also 'un naQ: pot cane)

Duq: smaller bowl from which diner consumes food poured from maHpIn

'elpI: platter, usually metal

‘ep: to eat soup

'eyHa: edible but not particularly delicious, i.e. the intervention of a cook has caused it tocease being delicious

ghem: midnight snack (not a snack as humans see it, but a fourth meal)

HaH: to soak or drench with a marinade

He': aroma (to emit a smell)

HIq HIvje': liquor glass, usually tankard/stein for beer or ale

HIvje': beverage container from which drinks are consumed

HuH: bile, gall, or slime

'Ib: square or rectangular tub used to hold food while it is fermenting

‘Im: to boil

‘Iw: blood

'IwHIq HIvje': bloodwine glass

jab: to serve (food)

jabmeH: "In Order to Serve" (a cookbook by J'puq)

jabwI': server

je’: to feed someone

largh: to smell (sense odors)

leng Soj: voyage food - at many restaurants it is possible to order food to be packaged in boxes to be eaten elsewhere. It is unwise to order a food that should be eaten live as a leng Soj

maHpIn: serving bowl

megh: lunch

mIQ: to fry food, deepfry

mum: to taste, sense flavors

nay': dish/course

nevDagh: pot with v-shaped handles, termed DeSqIvDu' ("elbows")

ngawDeq: a DuDwI' or 'un naQ with a flattened out, paddle like end

ngop: plate

nIQ: breakfast

noS: to eat small mouthfuls, to nibble

'oj: to be thirsty

pID: to season or coat with herbs

poq: indigestion

pub: boil

puq chonnaQ: fork, it is unadvisable to ask for a fork

qa'vIn HIvje': coffee mug

ghevI': a thick sauce used when preparing qagh (gagh)

Qe': restaurant

Qenvob: the process of steeping dried plant or animal parts in boiling water

Qep’It: gas produced in the stomach, commonly expelled in a belch (ruq)

qettlhup: a special sauce, often a thickened chanDoq

Qev: to stew

ragh: decay; decayed food is not good to eat, though sometimes given to animals

raS: table

rogh: ferment

roghmoH: to ferment food; one way to ferment food is to mix it with a fungus ('atlhqam), usually scraped from the bottom of certain animals' feet, though it also grows on trees

ruq: to belch

runpI': teapot

SIjwI': slitter, a knife used for finer work

SIp: gas produced in the stomach, commonly expelled in a belch (ruq)

Soj: food

Soj jaD: He/She throws or hurls the food in the manner of a projectile (considered a reasonable pastime)

Soj tlhol: raw, unprocessed food, i.e. straight off the carcass

Soj woD: He/She throws the food away (a regrettable activity, i.e. the food has decayed)

Sop: to eat

suy: menu

surgh: to skin

tach: bar / cocktail lounge

taj: knife

tlhutlh: to drink

tuy’: to spit (to spit liquids – bItuy’; to spit solids – bItlhIS)

'uH: be hung over

'un: pot

'un naQ: pot cane, (also DuDwI': mixer) a stick used for stirring

'up: disgusting, repugnant

'uQ: dinner

‘uS: leg

‘uSu’: a sauce used in the preparation/serving of tlhath (gladst)

vut: to prepare food/beverage (no heating involved)

vutwI': cook (preparer of food) - server and cook likely to be the same in small establishments

waH: to taste or try food

warjun: large, extremely sharp, square-bladed chopping implement (but for its short handle, it would probably be considered a kind of 'obmaQ [ax])

wech: to serve fermented food at its peak

yIv: to chew

yuch/yuchmey: chocolate/chocolates; apart from Shakespeare, considered one of the Human race’s key contributions to the galaxy

yuvtlhe’: lid or cover

Animals & Animal Parts

‘aD: vein

Boqrat: A type of animal

borghel: a very small bird whose eggs are considered quite tasty

Bregit: a classification of animal similar to reptiles and salamanders

burgh: stomach

chej: liver

Da’nal: a bird of prey know for it’s unpredictable behavior

Dir: skin, often still attached when meat is served, though sometimes it is removed and served as a dish on its own

ghab: a chunk of the midsection of an animal, including any organs that may have remained attached

gham: limb

ghargh: worm

ghew: insect

ghIch: nose

ghISDen: scales

ghot’l: fish, general term for a fish like creature

HajDob: leg (served as food)

Ha'DIbaH: meat of any kind; animal (also used as an insult toward another person)

Hom/HomDu’: bone/bones

Hugh: throat, neck

ighvah: an animal who’s liver is used to make a soup

jajlo’Qa: a noisy animal known making a ruckus at dawn

jat: tongue

lem/lemDu’: hoof/hooves

lIngta': a type of animal

luH: intestines

lung (loong): a type of lizard

mIl'oD: sabre bear

mIn: eye

nach: head

namwech: paw

neb: beak or bill

pach: claw or talon

pel'aQ: egg shells

Qaj (Kradge): a type of animal who’s tail is served as a food

Qagh (gagh): serpent worms

Qa'raj: A type of animal with claws that can be served as food in a number of ways.

qevpob: cheek/jowl

QImmey: eggs--not really eaten as food, except when used in sauces, including the shell (pel'aQ) for flavor and texture

qogh: ear

QoghIj: brain

Soj tlhol: raw, unprocessed food, i.e. straight off the carcass

Somraw: muscle

tagh: lung

tangqa’: an animal species with both genders resembling a Terran bull

Targh (targ): A Klingon mammal with characteristics somewhere between Terran canines and wild boars. These animals are hunted, although some are kept as pets. The heart and lungs are considered delicacies.

tel: wing

tIq: heart, might be a dish in its own right

tlhagh: animal fat

tlhuQ: tail

tIqnagh (Tknag): A thick skinned, predatory animal native to Taganika. The Tknag beast is an animal highly prized for it’s hooves

to'qaQ: ligament/tendon

veD: fur

volchaH: shoulder

wuS: lips

yab/yabmey: brain/brains

My sources listed a large number of Klingon birds with various characteristics. However only those with either food related or unique definition were listed above. The remaining fowl are as follows:

bo’Degh, cha’bIp, cha’Do’, cha’naS, cha’par, cha’qu’, Da’vI.’, jajlo’Qa’,lIr, lotlhmoq, notqa’, pardIng, qanraD, qaryoq, qaryoq’a’, qa’rol, raw’, toQ, ‘uSgheb vem’eq, vIlInHoD, waqboch,

Fruits & Vegetables

naH: any part of a plant that may be eaten; translated as fruit or vegetable

naHlet: nut; literal translation is “hard fruit”

naHlet yub: nut shells

naHjej: thistle; literal translation is “sharp fruit”

naHnagh: pit,or large seed; literal translation is “fruit stone”

na'ran: type of sweet fruit, naran [Some Terrans drink the juice of the na'ran for breakfast. Klingons find this an odd practice.]

na’ran rur: resembles a na’ran, also a sweet fruit

qurgh: bean

‘oQqar: root/tuber

peb'ot: a Klingon torpedo-shaped fruit

tIr: grain

tlhatlh (Glasht): Dark and leaf-like, it might not be a vegetable. tlhatlh is often served with a sauce (‘uSu’), think mushroom soup only with palm-sized slices.

tlhImqaH. (Zilm'kach): a Klingon food. An orange colored fruit (similar in appearance to an apricot) served in sections as a side dish.

vIno’va’ qurgh (Finova bean): a type of bean that is deadly if not prepared properly.

vIychorgh: a plant's sap or juice

yub: husk, rind, peel

Dishes

bIreQtagh (Bregit Lung): This dish is not actually the lung of a Bregit. In this case lung (pronounced loong, as in Dr. Soong)is a classification of animals that includes reptiles and salamanders in tlhIngan Hol , the Klingon language created by Marc Okrand.

boqrat chej Qevlu'pu'bogh (stewed bokrat liver): must be prepared from a freshly killed boqrat as the difference in taste is very noticeable.

chatlh: a thick soup or broth

Daghtuj: mixture of animal parts (might not be from the same animal)

Duran lung DIr (Durani lizard skins): A delicacy served dried and thinly sliced. This dish was discovered by a Klingon military unit stranded on Durani I without supplies for six months.

ghaw’: ighvah liver soup

ghod toDbaj HajDobDu’ (Stuffed toDbaj legs): The todbaj is a small animal which has a lot of legs, and usually a tough skin. Once in a year, at the time of QI'lop (a Klingon holiday) the todbaj expand their bodies. To allow for the expansion, the todbaj's skin gets soft and less thick. During the holiday, tradition dictates that a meal of soft stuffed todbaj leg is brought to the house of the host. After the meal the guest is allowed to take one, non-sacred, item home. Each Klingon house has a special recipe for the preparation of todbaj legs.

Hurgh: a food dish made with marinated peb'ot fruit.

jagh tIq (Enemy's Heart): Literally the heart muscle of a sworn enemy.One doesn't eat the heart of a soldier killed in combat for the Empire, a Blood Oath ('Iw 'Ip) has to have been made naming the individual enemy. ("Blood Oath" [DS9])

This is always fresh, as it is best taken from the chest of the fallen enemy while he still breathes his last. The heart is shared among the surviving members of the Blood Oath.

jat moQ char (Slimy tongue balls): A klingon food commonly served as an entree.

Owon Eggs: a delicacy served as omelet, deemed unpalatable by Humans, but Klingons love them.

pIpyuS pach (Pipius claw): A traditional food dish. It is not served cooked but neither is it served live or just killed. Chefs carefully guard their recipes for tearing the creatures apart and marinating the various pieces in some sort of animal fluid to add flavor and chemically alter the texture.

Qaj tlhuQ (Kradge Tail): a Klingon delicacy who’s method of preparation varies from House to House. (see etiquette)

Qagh (pronounced Gagh): a dish of serpent worms, best when served alive. In preparing the dish, the worms are fed diluted animal blood, which the worms find unappealing and will eat only when they are starving. Just before serving, the now ravenous worms are placed in a thick sauce (ghevI'). The worms eat the sauce, including an herb ingredient that is toxic to them and kills them in just a few minutes. Since the great joy of the dish is being consumed while they are still alive, it is important to only combine the worms and sauce until just before serving--also important to eat as quickly as possible. When referring to the serpent worms themselves, before being prepared as food, the tlhIngan Hol word is ghargh. It is also served with m'ressa twigs. qagh is killed in one's mouth and the blood is savored. Some Klingons say that they don't care for the taste of qagh, but like it for the fight it puts up when eaten. There are reportedly at least 51 distinct "flavor" varieties of qagh (other small animals, bugs (ghew), etc., are also enjoyed by the handful while alive)

qagh tlhIq (qagh stew): Leftover qagh is served as a stew.

QaraDa HajDobmey (Karada legs): The broiled legs of a Klingon animal, that resembles the teran octopus.

• Variations:

voDleH QaraDa (Emperor's Karada): According to tradition Emperor's Karada is marinaded in its own blood ('Iw), and often a sap (vIychorgh)

wamwI' QaraDa (Hunter’s Karada): simply qaraDa servedwith ngat (which is made from granulated cartilage and grain).

Qeyvaq Ha'DIbaH (Kayvak's Meat): A fermented meat dish named for a famous ancient warrior for now forgotten reasons.

qompogh: a common dish made by mashing a mixture of various types of naH, with or without some animal matter, into a lumpy paste and then letting it rogh (ferment)

qul DIr (fire skin): cut up pieces of animal skin are soaked in a strong liquor, then removed and set afire just before serving.The dish is eaten quickly, while the pieces are still burning

raHta' (Racht): A Klingon food using a type of worm similar to qagh that is also best served live.

ro’qegh’Iwchab (Rokeg blood pie): A traditional dish. Blood pie is difficult to prepare properly and chefsprotect the secrecy of their recipes fiercely. A blood feud was precipitated between the House of Rengat and the House of Dor when warriors of each house claimed to have the better recipe. Rokeg blood pie consists of animal meat and blood baked into a pie.

Scrag: The roasted haunch of the predator (able to bring down a grown Klingon) garbat that is marinated in its own blood and treated with ten different spices. This is concidered one of the finest achievement of the Klingon culinary arts. Is completely indigestible by humans.

Soj qub: a meticulously prepared dish for only the most formal of occasions. (literally translated as “rare food”)

Su'lop: a number of different kinds of food mixed together along with flavorful herbs and then fed to an animal. Reclaimed as quD

• at the right time the animal is killed, its parts used for various dishes, and the contents of the stomach (the now partially digested Su'lop) are removed and used as a sauce (quD), served with great flourish
• this sauce may be prepared artificially with chemicals ('un quD = pot quD) as opposed to the 'natural' way (burgh quD = stomach quD); although nutritionally identical, the natural method is preferred

targh tIq (Heart of Targ): a traditional dish. Only the heart of the Wild, Hunted Targ is considered worthy of eating, making it a rare delicacy. targhmey are also breed for food but their hearts have been weakened by domestication and are not consumed.

Klingons believe that heart of a wild targh brought courage to the warrior who eats it. In 2374, a holographic version of Moklor told B'Elanna Torres that ingesting heart of targh was a required act in the Day of Honor ritual

Targ Klingon a la Mode: A menu item at the "Cafe des Artistes" translated from the French, it came out to be "A small targ makes with vanilla ice cream served on a dish of the day and fish. Served with the bynar calcinings and parslais." ("We'll Always Have Paris" [TNG])

** (I didn't make this up, so, you can go and blame Paramount's art department for this.)

tIqnagh lemDu’ (Tknag hooves): an extremely rare delicacy. Many warriors have died in battles over the recipe for this dish. Usually served only at the grandest of occasions. If you ever see this dish at a feast, prepare to fight to the death over it.

tlhIq: a stew made from any number of meats or animals.

tlhombuS: a deep fried food where a block of animal fat is coated with a mixture of ngat (herbed granulated cartilage) and tIr (grain) and then briefly immersed into boiling fat, just until the coating hardens

toqvIr lung QImmey: small eggs of the Tokvirian skink, often eaten whole by the handful

voDleH Ha'DIbaH (Emperor's Meat): a dish where older meat may be marinated (HaH) in any of a wide variety of concoctions, including 'Iw (blood) and/or vIychorgh (sap) as a base, along with assorted animal parts.

wamwI’ Ha’DIbaH (Hunter’s Meat): fresh animal matter may be coated with herbed granulated cartilage (ngat) mixed with some kind of grain (tIr) - this process is called "pID";

Beverages

In Klingon culture, water is the antitheses of blood. Blood is strong while water is weak. Therefore, Klingons seldom drink plain water. Their choice of beverage operates under the concept that the less water-like, the better.

Alcoholic beverages (Hiq)

Baqghol (bahgol): a native Klingon alcoholic tea-like beverage; consumed heated and out of surprisingly small glasses.

Chechtlhutlh: A strong alcoholic beverage. The word is derived from the tlhIngan Hol verbs tlhutlh "to drink" and chech "to be drunk." The loose translation would have chechtlhutlh something one drinks for the sole purpose of getting drunk.

‘Im gharghHiq (boiling worm wine): a strong alcoholic beverage.

‘IwHiq (Blood wine): A native beverage that is very popular in the Empire. It is very dark red in color and best served at body temperature(porgh Hat), and is not for the faint of heart. Bloodwine is known to be highly intoxicating, to the point that most non-Klingons are scarcely capable of handling it; it is twice as potent as whiskey. The first Human known to consume the beverage was Jonathan Archer, while he awaited the verdict of his trial on Qo'noS.

• Klingon captains and generals are known to carrying several barrels of their favorite vintages to celebrate victories.

Nektai: a Berani beverage popular among Klingons. It is fatal to the “lesser species”, Humans, Romulans Ferengi, and can be dangerous to Klingons who do not take care. It is said to be reactant fluid distilled in the blood of nektai warriors. As Gowron said, "An interesting drink."

wornagh (Warnog): This beverage is mentioned in Star Trek TNG: Rightful Heir.

Nonalcoholic beverages (there is no single term that refers to all of them in general)

awje': a popular effervescent drink, black in color (frequently, though inaccurately translated as "root beer") made from, among other things, the marrow (melchoQ) taken from the bones of a teghbat considered relatively mild, even for a Klingon nonalcoholic drink

Dargh (tea): most Klingon teas are vegetable based, though some are animal based. Usually made with Qenvob: a dry mixture for the making of tea - often thorns, leaves, petals,or seeds from a plant that are immersed in water (brackish water (biQ na') is best) and boiled.

• The Klingon Tea Ceremony, a tea that is somewhat toxic to Klingons but is deadly for humans, is prepared and consumed according to certain ritualistic procedures. The tea is drunk in groups of two or more, partly as a test of bravery and partly as a reminder of the Klingon maxim that "death is an experience best shared."

qa'vIn: coffee (not native to the Empire, but very popular) as a rule, consumed black (plain). There are to key variation to qa’vIn.

• Variations:

ra'taj (raktaj): Originally a form of ga’vIn that has had liquor (HIq) added. Within the Empire is still served regularly, however the exported version is simply a strong Klingon coffee plus a nonalcoholic nutlike flavoring.

raktajino: rakjat with cream added, sometimes with the rind of some fruit to add more flavour (although raktajino is known as "Klingon coffee", it is quite different from both plain qa'vIn and the alcoholic or nonalcoholic ra'taj)

vIychorgh: a plant's sap or juice

Desserts

Klingon’s do not share the same concept of following a meal with anything resembling, what many races would consider, a dessert. Therefore do not expect to find anything resembling such a dish at a Klingon meal or feast

Now while the Klingon word chab translates to the terran words: pie, tart, or dumpling; the contents of a Klingon chab are completely different.

However out of respect for or to honor their guest(s) a Klingon host may offer something along the lines of a dessert based on their guest(s) species. However you should hope it’s replicated, because most Klingon chefs won’t know how to prepare a dessert, unless they are experienced in non-Klingon foods. Although on the whole Klingon’s do have a fondness for chocolate (yuch)

Etiquette

• food must be eaten as served--nothing like saltshakers will be on Klingon tables, although some foods may be served with a separate vessel for sauce from which one can use as little or as much as one desires

• eating is done with hands only

• food is grabbed from 'elpI' with hands and put on one's own jengva'; it is perfectly acceptable to reach across the table or to walk around to a more convenient position to access the food; you may use two hands to break off a slab of desired fare

• it is acceptable to grab a plate from a pile, but not to ask someone to pass you one; if there is no pile of plates, none will be furnished--it is improper to ask for one

• if food affects one in an especially positive way, one may say "DoQ Soj" (the food stabs him/her) or "jej pach" (the claw is sharp)

• unless one is dining alone, a meal is typically quite noisy, with a great deal of talking (and often singing) accompanied by the clattering of plates and bowls; this is particularly true of a 'uQ'a' (banquet/feast)

• when nuts or other foods are eaten, where the shell is cracked and discarded, the shells (naHlet yub) are to be spit out (thlIS),

• sometimes at a nearby diner as a gesture of sociability

• if one eats too neatly or if one does not eat with gusto, it will probably be assumed that one is not enjoying the food

• by the end of a meal there should still be a good amount of food scattered about, but not on one's plate - there should be plenty of food that has been spilt, dropped, or thrown

• at the end of a meal one should avoid picking bits of food out of one's teeth - to do so is an insult to the cook as it implies the food was not well prepared and that the eater wants to get the flavors out of his mouth

• The following dishes have specific methods of preparation and it is frowned on to ask questions about the preparation because it shows your cultural ignorance; conversely, to ask whether it has been naturally or artificially produced shows knowledge and interest in Klingon cuisine:

• bIreQtagh: bregit lung
• targh tIq: heart of targ
• Qaj tlhuQ: kradge tail
• Soj qub
• tlhImqaH

Dining Out

• menu will be posted in restaurants; most patrons know regular fare and ask about specials including the DaHjaj gheD (today's prey)

• the server (or cook, in a small establishment) does not record the orders he takes - he is expected to remember, and if he remembers incorrectly (qawHa') the patron may reject (lajQo') the dish

• if the patron rejects a dish that the server believes has been properly remembered, the misunderstanding may develop into a minor combat; for other diners, this may be regarded as an exhilarating diversion

• if anything additional is required during a meal (i.e. more food or drink) the patron shouts, "jabwI'!" ("Server!")

• leng Soj= voyage food - at many restaurants it is possible to order food to be packaged in boxes to be eaten elsewhere
• it is unwise to order a food that should be eaten live as a leng Soj

• there is no tipping in Klingon restaurants

Positive attributes of food:

• tlhol: raw
• qub: rare
• ngal: chewy
• char: slimy
• tlher: lumpy
• wIb: sour, bitter
• na': salty, brackish
• 'ey: delicious (can also describe music)
• tlhorgh: pungent (to non-Klingons: rank/gamy)
• wIb: be sour, bitter, tart

-Of meat:

• ghoQ: fresh, just killed

-Of vegetable/fruit:

• Baq: fresh, just picked, just fallen off the tree/plant
• DeH: ripe/overripe
• QaD: dried out (of vegetable/fruit) [baQ - just picked - not as favored]

Negative attributed of food:

• ghlH: sloppy (while Klingons care little for presentation, this can be attributed to ill-prepared food)
• nglm: putrid, food only fit for animals
• Qop: to be dead (referring to food) [slang usage meaning to be worn out]
• rotlh: tough, hard (again implying ill-prepared)
• tlhorghHa’: to be bland

Credits

This Guide has been compiled from various online sources as the result of years of sim activity and includes information from the "Food" section of Klingon for the Galactic Traveler by Marc Okrand. Term verification and translation was done by using online translation sources, the Klingon Dictionary by Marc Okrand, and the Klingon Language Institute (Works cited by the KLI: Star Trek: Klingon, Power Klingon, The Klingon Dictionary, The Klingon Way: A Warrior’s Giude, and the HolQed all authored or coauthored by Marc Orkand,