The Foods of Offworld

The planet of Offworld sports a wide and diversified fauna of plants, animals, fish, bugs and more that are unique and native only to that planet, and yet they are derived from lifeforms found on Earth, and adapted to live on Offworld through unique genetic modifications and adaptations done by the controllers when they were originally terraforming the planet. Some of the well known, and most commonly discussed foods on the planet are as follows:

• Shiotine is the Offworld equivalent of Oats, and is a staple crop for feeding livestock, although it is occasionally used for human consumption. But it's primary purpose is to feed cattle, chickens, and other livestock.

• Gastons are a green bean like legume known to grow in every region across the entirety of Offworld. They are most commonly found and consumed in the northern regions of both the continents of Contina and Nustrun as they are a plant that best thrives in temperate climates.

• Naslet is a crop unique to Offworld and is one of the many unique and varied foods found on the planet, and grown by many farmers the world over. The typical naslet looks like a cereal crop, but is not actually a cereal crop, although it shares some similarities to them. It is typically planted in late spring, after all the other crops are planted, due to needing warmer temperatures to properly germinate, and grows quickly, allowing for harvesting as early as late summer, or even late fall depending on what purpose the crop is being planted for. This is because Naslet shares more things in common with strawberries and raspberries than wheat or oats, although it does share similarities to each of these plants. Technically, by botanical standards, it's a berry, and yet it grows like a grain.

  The plant grows a thick, heavy stalk, on top of which emerges something equivalent to a bumpy strawberry. If allowed to ripen, it can be picked and turned into a delicious jam or preserve. However, if allowed to go past the point of ripeness, the head changes and becomes grain like, resembling an oversized head of wheat, at which time, if allowed to dry out, the heads can be ground into an amazing, sweet flavored flour that makes the most incredible pastries you've ever tasted which have a very naturally fruity flavor.

• A Stagnatier is a species of deer native to the planet of Offworld. They are very closely related to the Whitetail Deer of North America, and share many of the same similarities as their Terran cousins. However, unlike regular Whitetail Deer, who only gather in herds during the mating season, stagnatier are a perennial herd animal, similar to cows or gazelles, meaning they remain in large herd families year round, and jointly work together to take care of their young. They weigh in at about 150-200lbs for the male, and about 80-120 for the females.

  Each doe bares just one fawn each year from age two onward, with twins occurring occasionally, but overall, more than one fawn per year is very rare. Triplets or higher is completely unheard of. Stagnatiers are estimated to live between 18-25 years and have no natural predators on the planet, save for humans, and the controllers, who keep their populations under control and, acting in the roll of a surrogate predator, regularly remove the sick, lame and impotent from the herds, helping to keep the others strong and living a long time.

• An Elderbeast is a bovine like species similar to the American Brown Swiss cow of North America. It is a hornless breed of cattle found exclusively on the continent of Contina, and is raised for both milk and beef. The milk is used to make a wide variety of dairy products, including cheeses and even some medicinal products. It's hide is used to make some of the softer leathers, as it's not as durable once tanned as some other cattle species, but is also easier to manipulate because of this.

  The meat of the animal is eaten in a wide variety of ways. Although the most common way is to eat it roasted on a spit. Elderbeasts typically live about 13-15 years, although, save only for breeding bulls and cows, most are butchered at 2 years of age as they are fully grown, but also still young and tender, making them an ideal meat for meals, feasts, and more. Older bulls and cows, near the end of their life, are butchered and sold as stew meat. They're still tender, but nowhere near as tender as younger, 2 year old Elderbeast.

• Spunions are a potato like root vegetable native to the planet of Offworld. While they are grown everywhere on the planet, they are most commonly grown and eaten on the continent of Contina. They are a very large, starchy root vegetable and somewhat represent a red potato in flavor but look like an Idaho in size and appearance. They are most often eaten either baked, sliced, boiled or pan fried with butter and a variety of spices.

• Debonate is one of a numerous variety of coffee like beverages that are common to the planet of Offworld. It is created, not from a bean, but from a cereal grain similar to corn, which is dried, shelled, dark roasted, then ground into a light meal that is then steeped in hot water to produce the beverage. While not everyone prefers to drink it this way, most connoisseurs of the beverage prefer to brew it strong, and unfiltered, with the ground meal still in the cup. Debonate is also a popular beverage with all social classes, from the richest of the rich, down to the poorest of the poor. It's flavor is considered to be similar to that of a Latte, with a hint of caramel. It's detractors, however, consider it's flavor to be that of burned soup.

• Quoll Tetra is a rice like grain that grows natively on the planet of Offworld as it does not easily spoil, and naturally resists the intrusion of salt water into its kernels, making it the perfect grain for those navigating on the sea, as will not easily become engorged with salt water should the ship leak and the Tetra become soaked or otherwise immersed in salt water. Due to its naturally salt-phobic nature, should such happen, it is an easy task to simply remove the soaked Tetra from the salt water, rinse it with fresh water, and then cook it. Quoll Tetra is often fixed using a unique cooking method that includes a rum like liqueur, as well as beans, dried salty pork, keptlet and a variety of herbs and spices. Prepared, cooked Tetra pottages are also very shelf stable and can be eaten cold or reheated for several days without risk of spoilage, thus again making it an excellent food staple for mariners of all stripes.

• Keptlet is a bush like cereal crop that creates a seed similar in nature to corn in size and texture, although it grows within a pod like a pea rather than on an ear like regular corn. Keptlet is grown and harvested in most locations across Offworld. It's uses are pretty numerous, although the most common is as an animal feed, a common vegetable, and even the ingredient in certain beers and alcoholic beverages. When making beer, the beverage it creates has somewhat of a fruity, yet earthy flavor.

• Barnicorn is a cereal crop unique to Offworld and is wheat like in nature, including the stalk, head and kernels. Barnicorn is most commonly used in making breads, as an animal feed, or the foundation for such things as paint, glue and other household necessities. It is also a primary food staple for many people, and can also be converted into alcoholic beverages through common fermentation. The crop is typically planted in the fall, and harvested in late summer.

These are most commonly used to make a variety of food products that are consumed on Offworld. But these are only scratching the wide variety of plants, animals and fish that are grown, harvested and processed into food commonly eaten on the planet. The total list of all that is made and consumed on Offworld is very long, and sometimes is regional, but this does cover some of the most commonly consumed items across the planet. Foods can also be divided by continent in their availability. Some foods are also divided north and south, with those in the area of the main racing trail being plants and animals most commonly found in temperate climates, whereas those to the south being adapted to more tropical climates.