The ever-expanding universe ofStar Trekis famously groundbreaking, and fundamental to the development of science fiction TV shows. One thing that makes it special in this way is the incredible attention to detail the show’s creators had. They created deeply complex socio-political cultures, vast histories for various alien races and civilizations, andtactically intricate Starfleet training programs.
One thing that resonated throughout the franchise is their attention detail with culture, such as the vastly different cuisines found within the various different races. Among these, potentially none are so memorable and diverse as the Klingon cuisine. What wild and wonderful oddities these warmongering, forehead-ridged people enjoy so much?
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Klingon Alcohol
There’s one thing that often defines these warring, aggressive balls of muscle, and acts as astrong parallel between them and the Viking culture they were based on: their consumption of alcohol. Potentially the most famous of these beverages isbloodwine, talked about throughout the various iterations into the franchise. This is the Klingon empire’s favored drink of choice. Like most Klingon cuisine, bloodwine is not for the faint of heart. It is a very alcoholic, non-bubbly drink that is famously ambiguous about whether it actually contains blood or not. It is best served warm, and is apparently so intoxicating (twice as strong as whiskey) that the majority of non-Klingons are not able to tolerate it.
Another strong beverage isChech’tluth, which represents the Klingon version of a spirit. This whiskey adjacent drink smokes due to its potency, and despite its strength, it often enjoyed by humans who desire something strong. There is alsoWarnog, a traditional Klingon beer enjoyed notably by General Martok aboard the IKS Rotarran, a clear beverage that is served warm. Its name is interesting, and it’s not clear whetherthis is a Klingon word, or an English amalgamation of War and Nog, meaning a war drink.
Gagh
One of the most famous foods eaten by Klingon and brave others is the delicacy ofGagh(or ‘Hot Worms’ as Ensign Mariner would say). This meal is made from serpent worms found on the Klingon home world. It’s a meal loved by seemingly all Klingons, one that can be served cold or in a stew, but is widely thought to taste better while eaten live. Keeping these creatures alive in the depths of space is no easy task, however. They require a consistent supply of blood to live, and have to be fed throughout whatever voyage they are on. One of the worst jobsaboard a Klingon vesselis the scrapping out of the worm barrels, deemed necessary in order for the consumption of the live worms.
Many non Klingons find the dish to be repulsive. In theVoyagerseries, Neelix attempts to serve it as a part of a Klingon breakfast buffet, with little appeal to the crew. However, a few notable humans have developed a taste for the wriggling dish. Picard and Riker ofTNG, as well as Dr. Bashir from DS9, have all noted a love for the meal.
While they may all look the same, there are actually a whopping 51 different types of Gagh, each with its own distinctive taste and texture. The ones noted in canon are: Bithool (which have feet), Filden (which squirms a lot more), Meshta (which jumps), Torgud (which wiggles), and Wistan (which is stored in barrels of Targ blood).Rachtis fairly similar to Gagh, but is larger. Also, while Gagh can be eaten cold, it is an absolute necessity to eat Racht fresh and alive, as noted in theDS9episode “Melora” by Dr. Bashir’s love interest Melora Pazlar: “There’s nothing worse than half-dead Racht.”
Krada
While the Gagh and Racht look rather unappealing to non-Klingons, theKrada legseems much more appetizing (except to vegetarian Vulcans). It’s reminiscent of any generic leg of meat, but most with a few more spikes. The Krada itself is never shown in canon, only ever referred to in passing, untilDiscoverywhere L’Rell is shown devouring a leg as part of a great feast. It’s never mentioned specifically in the episode that this is Krada, but the actress Mary Chieffo confirmed during anAfter Trekepisode that this was in fact the never-before-seen Klingon Krada.
The Krada originates from Klingon space, and is served as a staple at the Klingon restaurant aboard the Deep Space 9 station, where Kira andthe station security officer Odooften take their lunch breaks. It also makes an appearance in the background of aLower Decksepisode, in the form of a kiosk named Mr. Krada Leg — which is manned, interestingly, by a Gorn.
Raktajino
This beverage has long been yearned for byStar Trekfans who have to wake up early. It’s a strong brew of Klingon coffee, and can be served hot or iced. TheRaktajinois referenced by various characters throughout the franchise. It’s often used in place of normal human coffee to give officers an edge when working overtime, like Engineer Reno duringDiscovery.Reno sums it up perfectly by saying: “When you have to power through, nothing beats the bitter elixir of Klingon warriors.”
Raktajino is also the favored way to wake upthe morally ambiguous Captain Sisko, who needed it to function each morning, often mixing it with jacarine peel, an alien fruit. While the drink is specifically designed for its high caffeine content,the station’s second-favorite Ferengi, Quark, created a decaffeinated version for the pregnant Kira Nerys, a drink Odo gave the nameQuarktajino.
Klingon food has always been a fascination of the franchise, the creators carving out considerable time to design it, and many more, cuisines ofthe mighty empire. While many dishes seem unappealing to audiences, drinking warm blood and eating still-living worms, the fact that there are many humans across the franchise that enjoy these things shows that there must be something about them that keeps them coming back for more.
