Star Trek has always used the idea of aliens and other planets as allegories for different Earth cultures, and if Gene Roddenberry had lived in a different era he might have written more about food. Contemporary trends make foodie culture a bigger part of media in general, and it's great for lore and immersion when a writer or designer is looking for the finer details.
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Vulcans are a mysterious culture to begin with, and although there are some references to Vulcan cuisine in The Original Series the subject comes up more often in shows like Enterprise and Strange New Worlds. Beyond the human jokes about tea and raw vegetables, Vulcans have interesting culinary traditions that reflect their sophisticated culture.
6 Redspice
A Common Type Of Seasoning
- Popular Dishes: A basis for a variety of recipes and beverages; also used therapeutically as a calming agent
It's impossible to discuss Vulcan food without talking about Redspice, which is included in several recipes and can be added later as a seasoning. Redspice is so ubiquitous on Vulcan that every household would have some, and it would be a regular addition to the table like salt or pepper on Earth.
Those who enjoy the spicy varieties of food on earth will like Redspice, which is one of the notorious hot foods originating from this harsh desert planet. Viewers who pay attention to detail would have noticed how common Redspice is in Vucan cooking. It was one of the key ingredients in the soup from the Deep Space 9 episode "Second Sight" and it appeared again in the Discovery episode, "Choose To Live" but as a beverage with relaxing properties.
5 Tevmel
A Dish For Special Occasions
- Appeared In: Strange New Worlds, S2E5, "Charades."
Similar to Terrans, Vulcans have a number of dishes intended for special occasions, and Tevmel is one popular example. This is a complex dish that's often served as the main course in the ceremonial V'Shal dinner, which is part of the engagement process for Vulcan couples.
The dish is typically prepared by the groom, or the designated cook of his choosing, and if the in-laws are displeased with the meal they can legally break the engagement. It's a lot of pressure for one small meal, so it's easy to imagine the drama surrounding the preparation of Tevmel.
4 Vulcan Spice Tea
Also Popular Among Non-Vulcans
- Appeared In: Voyager, S2E14, "Alliances."
Captain Janeway was notorious for her love of strong, bitter beverages that gave the imbibers a pleasant burst of energy. Her drink of choice was coffee, but another favorite was Vulcan Spice tea, and she asked for it by name in the episode "Alliances."
Vulcans drink a wide variety of tea, ranging from strong and flavourful to weak and bland. A hot beverage on the other end of the spectrum would be Plomeek Tea, made from a root known for its lack of taste.
3 Gespar
A Special Breakfast Food
- Appeared In: Enterprise, S4E3, "Home."
For those who are ever guests in a Vulcan household, don't forget to make a breakfast of Gespar for your hosts. Gespar is a fruit that looks similar to a Terran fig before it's dried, but is red instead of green, and has a similar thick skin and internal seed pods. It only grows in select regions on Vulcan that are more verdant and temperate and is therefore considered more of a luxury item.
The Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Home" features a scene in which Tripp Tucker, who is a guest in T'Pol's mother's home, prepares the dish for his hostess. T'Les was impressed by the gesture and could sense the strong bond between her daughter and her human colleague.
2 Plomeek Soup
Vulcans Go Crazy For It
- Appeared In: Virtually every Star Trek show, but debuted in Star Trek The Original Series, S2E5, "Amok Time."
Plomeek soup might be the earliest example of unique Vulcan cuisine to ever appear in the Star Trek universe, and it's been name-dropped in every syndicated TV show ever since as a tribute to that memorable episode that first gave us the axiom, "Hot like Vulcan." Nurse Chapel attempts to make this familiar dish for a distressed Spock dealing with the throes of Pon Faar. It has a distinct purple color, which the viewer can get a better look at when he throws it at her.
Unlike other Vulcan food, Plomeek is known for its bland taste and is often served with breakfast, making it more like another version of oatmeal, but with a thinner consistency. Plomeek itself is a root vegetable with a consistency similar to celery or rhubarb and is also the main ingredient in Plomeek tea.
1 Vulcan Brandy
A Rare And Expensive Beverage
- Appeared In: Voyager, S7E4, "Repression."
There's some disagreement in the canon regarding the effect of alcohol on Vulcans, but it seems to be the sugar in beverages as opposed to the alcohol itself that makes a Vulcan what a human would call "drunk." Sugar is a base ingredient in alcohol, even on Vulcan, so strong drinks could be measured by sugar content as opposed to alcohol level, which could reconcile the two ideas. Vulcan Port also gets a mention in certain Star Trek episodes, which is a notoriously sweet alcoholic beverage.
The drink looks similar to the brandy humans make on Earth, and Vulcans enjoy it when they're out on the town or during special occasions. Tuvok and Chakotay shared a glass of Vulcan brandy on an episode of Star Trek Voyager, although it was a tense moment that involved a brutal test of loyalty.
- Created by
- Gene Roddenberry
- First Film
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- First TV Show
- Star Trek: The Original Series
- Latest Film
- Star Trek Beyond
- Latest TV Show
- Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
- Creation Year
- 1966