Are Orks eadible?

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**Mezmerro**

I cannot recall any occasions or humans eating Ork meat in 40k fluff, which is strange, considering they sometimes fight in the desert or on glaciers where food is scarce.
Is ork meat inedible or just unpalatable?

**Psienesis**

Orks don't really have meat, they're a fungus/animal hybrid. I'd imagine that, were one to consume the flesh of an Ork, one would soon die from the squig bursting out of the ork-mold patch in your belly.

**A Town Called Malus**

They make great vegetarian burgers, match up very well with some Stilton.

**welshhoppo**

I'd imagine that orks would taste like Quorn.

**Ma55ter_fett**

Watermelon jolly rancher flavored.

**tmo38**

then again what really eats in 40k besides the obvious tyranids, i belive tau and imperial gaurd and eldar do as well as orks but orks wouldnt eat other orks just take their teeth

**TheCustomLime**

If you cook the flesh throroughly they are probably safe for consumption. However, you may want to torch the latrine pits later.

**Psienesis**

Orks eat squigs. Their diet entirely consists of things they make from squigs. Squig beer, squig souffle, baked squig, fried squig, squig on the half-shell, and so forth and so on.

**Gogsnik**

In Bloodquest a group of feral human Guard types who regularly fought orks celebrate a victory against them by roasting ork flesh. I recall the Blood Angels weren't entirely in favour but kept shtum as the men had earnt it. So yeah, orks are edible.

I've toyed with the idea that a certain faction within my DIY Chapter make a powerful alcohol from ork blood but since ork blood is also part of their digestive system it is somewhat of an acquired taste!

**Jimsolo**

Psienesis wrote:
Orks eat squigs. Their diet entirely consists of things they make from squigs. Squig beer, squig souffle, baked squig, fried squig, squig on the half-shell, and so forth and so on.

Squig tartar, squig stew, squig soup, squig potpie, squig ala king, squig burritos, barbeque squig, squig shakes, squig soda, squig jerky...

**Grey Templar**

It is probably edible, but would come with the hazards of squigs crawling out of the latrines a week later.

**Spinner**

Jimsolo wrote:
Psienesis wrote:
Orks eat squigs. Their diet entirely consists of things they make from squigs. Squig beer, squig souffle, baked squig, fried squig, squig on the half-shell, and so forth and so on.

Squig tartar, squig stew, squig soup, squig potpie, squig ala king, squig burritos, barbeque squig, squig shakes, squig soda, squig jerky...

...grots that got too close to squigs but managed to limp away...

I can't imagine orks balking at eating other orks, but they do have fairly robust...everything. A well-done ork steak might not be a bad way to augment your soylens viridens if you're a guardsman stuck in a protracted campaign - but I wouldn't trust anything less than thoroughly cooked. For one, it might get back up to take another swing!

**amanita**

I'd say orks are edible, but don't break down as well as other foods. Like corn (Khorne).

**Bobthehero**

They make great moonshine, just ask our squad from Only War

**d-usa**

Would Orks be part of a Vegan diet?

**Warboss Imbad Ironskull**

Besides Tyranids the Kroot have been known to eat Orks, also I remember a Space Marine eating Ork flesh so he could get its memories.

Personally I think it would be largely taboo in the Imperium to consume the flesh of any sentient xenos race for any reason just like cannibalism is viewed as taboo by most cultures in the real world. Also since doctrine dictates that Orks be burned after they're killed so that they don't spread spores who knows how often any human would have the chance to eat one.

**Mezmerro**

Warboss Imbad Ironskull wrote:
Also since doctrine dictates that Orks be burned after they're killed so that they don't spread spores who knows how often any human would have the chance to eat one.

Technically, only Ork skin produce spores, so it should be enough to flay the body and burn the skin, and then cook the meat. And yes, Oks clearly have meat - Xenology state that their muscles are similar to Eldar ones in structure (no surprise, as both was artificially engineered by Old Ones).

**motyak**

They'd go great with butter and garlic on toast.

**Pilau Rice**

I can imagine thousands of microscopic Orks waging a WAAAAGH against a Guardsmans blood cells and stuff

Like that Futurama episode where Fry has worms.

**Voodoo_Chile**

Pilau Rice wrote:
I can imagine thousands of microscopic Orks waging a WAAAAGH against a Guardsmans blood cells and stuff

Like that Futurama episode where Fry has worms.

Terrain politics leads to a High Lord being infected with microscopic Works. An Inquisitor and his retinue must be shrunk down and pilot an Ad Mech microship in order to save his life...

Hmm a possible Dark Heresy scenario methinks ;-)

**Kroothawk**

Warboss Imbad Ironskull wrote:
Besides Tyranids the Kroot have been known to eat Orks,

Indeed, there are official rules for Kroot on Ork diet.

**Graphite**

From either the 3rd Ed Ork Codex or the Gorkamorka rules, it was stated by Genator Lucas Anzion that Ork meat (or Ork fungus) was not edible at any stage in its life cycle.

This doesn't mean that people don't try.

**d-usa**

A whole new way to "eat 'shrooms".

That is how psykers are born.

**A Town Called Malus**

Graphite wrote:
From either the 3rd Ed Ork Codex or the Gorkamorka rules, it was stated by Genator Lucas Anzion that Ork meat (or Ork fungus) was not edible at any stage in its life cycle.

This doesn't mean that people don't try.

He was lying! He wanted to keep all that green mushroomy goodness to himself!

**TheSaintofKilllers**

Psienesis wrote:
Orks don't really have meat, they're a fungus/animal hybrid. I'd imagine that, were one to consume the flesh of an Ork, one would soon die from the squig bursting out of the ork-mold patch in your belly.

They reproduce like fungus but they are indeed fleshy like you or I.
To answer yes you could in theory eat orks like anything else that's biomass.

**Melissia**

Edible... barely.

But you're going to have to cook it well done and it'll wreck your tastebuds, because Orks are naaaaasty.

**chromedog**

So they are the equivalent of galah (wild parrot. Pink/grey with white bits). Meat is incredibly tough and doesn't taste good. There's a reason they aren't extinct (they aren't good to eat).

There's an old Aussie joke recipe for Galah.

1 Galah
2 litres water.
1 housebrick
Seasoning to taste.

Bring galah and housebrick to rolling boil and cook until brick softens.
Discard galah and eat the brick.

**Flinty**

There are lots of things you can eat that aren't food

**Psienesis**

Well, just because a Tyranid can eat sand doesn't make sand edible for a human being.

You can, indeed put an awful lot of things in your mouth, chew it, and swallow... but that does not mean it will sustain you. Not sure I'd count any of those sorts of things as "edible".

Space Marines will taste the flesh or blood of their foes in order to gain tactical data from them. This doesn't make it edible, it just means it engages whatever genetic apparatus the Space Marines have in their tongue that permits that function to do its thing. This is where names like "Flesh Tearers" and "Soul Drinkers" come from.

And with Orks? I'm not sure you could ever convince me that it was cooked *enough* to be safe to eat, let alone palatable.

**Kroothawk**

Kroot are capable of warp-travel because they ate an Ork Mec, so Orks are edible by Kroot just fine.
And as said, there have been official rules for Kroot on Ork diet:

Kroot Mercenary List by Andy Hoare in WD article wrote:
SIGNATURE EVOLUTIONARY ADAPTATIONS:
If you are fielding an army consisting entirely of Mercenary Kroot, rather than taking them as mercenaries for another force, then you
may purchase a special Evolutionary Adaptation. You may choose a single Signature Evolutionary Adaptation for your Mercenary Kroot army. This represents the specific evolutionary path on which the Master Shaper has led his band, directing them to feed on specific prey in order to gain the characteristics of the creatures native to the warzones in which the band must fight. Choose one adaptation from the list below, and apply it to every Kroot in the army. Krootox and Kroot Hounds do not benefit from these signature adaptations.
(...)
Ork Hybrid:Often referred to as ‘Green Kroot’, all models increase their Toughness by +1. Strength 8 is needed to Instant Kill models with this adaptation. Points cost: +2 per Kroot +5 per Shaper & Master Shaper