Koscheian Food

Koschei always had a tradition of frugality and efficiency when it came to the consumption and production of food. Being a backwater with limited resources during the so called “Golden Age of Humanity” and especially during the Silence, where they only had the neighboring planet of Thorg to rely upon for food, the populace grew accustomed to small amounts of food.

## A brief History of modern Koscheian food

### The Thorgian Problem

This came to a head following two brutal subsequent invasions and an influx of population from the Evacuation of Thorg, the populace of then-Kerdava were left with limited food and fresh water. The Kerdava-based Thorg Board for Tourism, left with the task of effectively rebuilding the planet were in quite a conundrum. On one end the Kerdavan populace was left with very little food production, on the other Koschei and his survivors required them to provide more food. This made the company ruthless in their approach for food, and they quickly set up an unconditional production regime for the entire planet, nothing was left to chance or freedom. What little animals they had were force bred. Pets were outlawed and with that overnight family pets were taken or killed over night for their food or breeding capabilities.

Those who would become the Deathless became brutally efficient at getting the most out of each animal. Animals were left without legs while they were still alive so they could be stored in more compact rooms, Milk was taken from anything they could justify, if anything at an unplanned time was killed or died it was recycled into food for these animals. This resulted in these brutal breeding areas becoming ripe grounds for animal disease. Medical staff saw themselves turned into veterinarians and hospitals recommissioned into veterinary clinics in order to quell the various outbreaks.

In the years following, research and development turned its attention onto what could be eaten. They found that the Kerdavan Parvos slug and ceiling moss could be melted down or boiled into productive food. It is said that when this was found out the Parvos Slug almost went extinct and the moss pretty much disappeared overnight. Some even went as far as hunting the Great Worms found in the planets lower depths for food out of desperation, although this caused more casualties than gains for the populace.

An extensive use of areoponics as well was put in place, focusing on the cultivation of potatoes, corn, and cabbage. In a stroke of luck (some say desperation) unknown fungus thrown on some of the Hydroponics which was found out to be edible, these mushroom went hard when baked becomes edible sides what food was put inside of. The mushrooms deemed sponge bowl mushrooms grew fast and produced a rapid yield.

There were also dark rumours that alien technology might have been used to boost the birth rate and muscle growth of some animals, this alien technology was rumoured to be found around the emerald dome although little is known about these dark stories and to date it might still be true that in there infancy Deathless used alien bio-science to survive

This, albeit most cruel and tyrannical, method of food gathering organized by the Board of Tourism showed results within a few years. By 2931, only three years after the famine started, the de facto heads of the planet judged that the famine was effectively over, and that soon food production could return to the free market it once was.

### The Swine Rebellion

The breeding and gathering programs had some unforeseen consequences, as fast and lose experimentation tends to generate. One of the developments of the research teams in charge of finding creative ways to augment food production developed a type of steroid that greatly augmented the mass and reproductive capabilities of the small livestock population. As these steroids were introduced to pig pens it triggered some strange mutations, the observed specimens seemed more aggressive and intelligent than their non-enhanced counterparts, but weren’t judged as dangerous, until 2931 that is.

By then, when things finally seemed to look up for the starved populace, a few packs of seemingly feral pigs three times the size of non-enhanced specimens were seen roaming the streets. These pigs fed themselves on anything that breathed, including human prey that couldn’t shoot or run away fast enough.  The chattering of their teeth made the populace nickname those pigs “chatters”, not much chatting was going on between humans and pigs.

The crisis went so far as to necessitate a military intervention from the Board’s security forces, the pigs having adopted pack tactics and proving to be uncharacteristically clever for non-sentient livestock. It is often joked that Deathless urban warfare doctrine was effectively formed during the Swine Rebellion. These pigs have been declared extinct three times but always made a come back smarter and bigger than before, until the end of the 30th century, where the last sighting of chatters were reported.

### Legacy of the Thorgian Problem

With all this in their hands the population not only survived but thrived. Although the practice and laws surrounding pets have been terminated after the Second Imperial Civil War’s end, some older members of Koschei’s society still frowns on the owning and maintenance of pets. Why waste good food on food itself?

Traditionally Koschei kept their local food production as brutally efficient as possible, nonetheless the planet still requires food importation, namely from the formerly A.C.R.E. corporation, now Eridanus, to survive without necessitating emergency measures enacted once again, as well as to vary the diet from mushrooms and the like.

### Project StimPack

Done under the supervision of the current Acting VP of Logistics of the Deathless, project StimPack aims to create a faster breeding cattle in order to avoid more food shortages.

## Traditional Koscheian Foods

### Grandma Pergi’s Stew

Grandma Pergi’s stew is a Koscheian recipe coming from the times of the great famine. Its recipe is always different from family to family but there are always three main ingredients to each one, Sponge bowl mushroom, Dvodka and yesterday's food scraps. Traditionally this is all boiled down in a large pot and served inside the sponge bowl mushroom with lots of salt and pepper to cover up some of the more interesting tastes.

### Koschei's favorite hotdog

Meat paste cut finely out of the tubing is grilled across a large iron spit until golden brown, Deathless use any paste they can find as the charring process normally improves taste and texture. When served it is put inside a tortilla and stuffed with fired fungus.

### Worm steak

Worm steak is a high class meal for Koschei as it is actual meat. The steak is normally served with vine tomatoes and a selection of high vitamin mushroom saulated in goat herb butter traditionally served alongside a heaped pile of buttery mash potato and deep dripping sauce.

### Fizzy Cheese Spread

Some Deathless rather like the taste of fizzy cheese and have started to boil their field ration while still inside the can. This make it into a caramel-like substance which they use to spread on their morning Fungal toast, while Deathless does not promote this habit due to the various health and safety concerns of heating pressurized dairy product of dubious origin, it is widely adopted.