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So after looking through pictures of 40k, I come to wonder, what does every eat? What is the basic nourishment for soldiers and civilians alike? What is eaten when on duty, and when off duty? Any answers would be appreciated

NECRONS DONT EAT

I imagine it varies considerably. consider how varied cusine is NOW, and realize that's a single planets worth of food

There's actually a pretty long list on the warhammer wikia, though it's mostly alcoholic beverages. Guess that's cause the writers are all British :
http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Imperial_Food_and_Drink

Oh and there's a description of some Eldar food in Fulgrim, though it's just meat and fruit (so I guess no description at all other than the confirmation that Eldar do eat meat).

I imagine there's quite a bit of long pork.

For the average (i.e. downtrodden as hell) citizen, food is more like that gruel/slop that came out of the ship from The Matrix than anything we'd want to eat.

Orks eat squigs, grots, other Orks, 'umies, whatever's handy. But mostly they survive on adrenaline and da powah of da WAAAGH!
Sometimes they smoke cigars because it looks cool.

Wolves = MEAT! and SUPER BEER

Orks = Squigs, squig beer, and pretty much all types of meat

imperial guard = nutrient paste, amasec

space marines = nutrient paste

tyranids = everyone (except necrons)

chaos = I guess humans

Necrons = souls(?)

Most Astartes (besides the Blood Angels and Space Wolves) have a delicious protein gruel that likely has the consistency of a milkshake that neutralizes the acidic buildup in their mouths.

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2014/11/20/ancient-evil-awakens/

2nd Picture down is what a rich Rogue Trader prepares for him and his guests (from Dark Heresy 2nd Edition). Looks delicious, no?

I know I've read things about space marines eating local game

TiamatRoar wrote:
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2014/11/20/ancient-evil-awakens/

2nd Picture down is what a rich Rogue Trader prepares for him and his guests (from Dark Heresy 2nd Edition). Looks delicious, no?

Looks like seafood! I'd eat that!

And that's cool art, I'd like to see more of every day life stuff in 40k!

Depends. For the nobility at the top of the hive, a sumptuous banquet every day. For the folks in the Underhive, probably something grey that comes out of a tube.

Corpse Starch Rations.

Dead people aren't buried, they're converted into bulk carbohydrates.

 curran12 wrote:
For the average (i.e. downtrodden as hell) citizen, food is more like that gruel/slop that came out of the ship from The Matrix than anything we'd want to eat.

Sure thats the case on HIVE WORLDS, But for others living on other worlds that's not the case. I imagine citizens on Agri worlds eat reasonably well. although proably fairly simply.

BL novels mention it now and again...........

Ambull steak is a well know delicacy and Grox for meat is farmed on many worlds
Freezy sticks - (ice lolly's) are a known
At least one lady Inquisitor is very fond of Ackenberry Sorbet....
Tanna leaf tea is a aquired taste

Soylent Green is my kind of people.

In Necropolis, Tona Criid sneaks into the Guard barracks to steal food and expects it to be paste in a tube (and thusly tries to seal some camo paint, thinking it's food).

There is a Tau banqueting scene in Kill Team, but I can't remember what the Tau eat. Kage wasn't exactly appreciative of it, anyway.

Caff and ReCaff are both mentioned several times as stimulant beverages.

Cain mentions Solyens Viridens on a few occasions.

In the Path of the Warrior Eldar novel, an Eldar warship's canteen seems to be a partial garden. There are bushes and the berries are eaten, and there are pools with petals that are also used to sprinkle over the food (Is this the equivalent of the salad bar?). There is some form of multi-colored grain food (or perhaps a mixture of different grains). There are other plant foods such as "split seeds" and "angel-resin" (I assume it is plant derived). Eldar are omnivorous as one of the food items is meat from a "shadow-horn". They drink spiced lodefruit juice from goblets. An Eldar warrior's diet seems far more rich and pleasant than a human counterpart's.

First and only Milo serves up a fried breakfast for both Gaunt and Caff.

Well, for Gaunt, he just invites Caff to have some, and it is rehydrated eggs at the very least.

Probably green eggs, too, in true Army tradition (caused by their transport in an aluminum-lined box to keep them hot).

 Great White wrote:
So after looking through pictures of 40k, I come to wonder, what does every eat? What is the basic nourishment for soldiers and civilians alike? What is eaten when on duty, and when off duty? Any answers would be appreciated

IG on service: Ration packs. Typically containing blocks of Red, Green, Black , Yellow, Orange and White. Even the people who make it don't know what that is.

Everyone else: Whatever doesn't immediately kill them, I guess.

I imagine all imperium food to be a mix of Middle Ages cuisine and nutrient paste

 Furyou Miko wrote:
Well, for Gaunt, he just invites Caff to have some, and it is rehydrated eggs at the very least.

Rehydrated eggs are supposed to be AWEFUL. my grandmother, who lived in england during the blitz, once told me the rehydrated eggs where the worst part of WW2 for her

Khorne Worshippers: The biggest, strongest animals on hand. Preferably beaten to death with your bare hands as tenderizing. Gotta fuel the fire.

Nurgle Worshippers: I don't even wanna know....

Tzeentch Worshippers: A lot of brain food and amino acids. I'm completely serious here.

Slaanessh Worshippers: Whatever is most expensive.

Space Marines: An awful lot whatever it is. Being 7 1/2 feet tall and 600+ lbs would imply that. Codexes mention a lot of game. They obviously eat much better than the average Guard soldier.

Eldar: A pallet pretty similar to islanders today. Lots of fruits with bits of meat here and there. Exquisite though not nessecarily decadent.

Orks: Carnivorous. Whatever meat is on hand. Squig beer.

Necrons: Nothing.

Average Hive Worlder: Nutrient Paste. Amasec.

Average Agricultural Worlder: Whatever they're raising. Grox steak and eggs probably most common.

Imperial Guard: Stupendously varied depending where you are. You could be in a sector filled with verdant jungle worlds with lots of fruits nuts and meats. Or you could be on a Desert world with Nutrient paste and Amasec only which are both heavily rationed.
Dark Eldar: Whatever the hell they feel like.

What about the tau?

 Great White wrote:
What about the tau?

Not too sure about the tau as a whole, but the kroot are carnivorous (maybe plants very rarely?) but that's because they need to get the better genetics. In The Greater Good by Sandy Mitchell, I believe there is a scene with Cain sharing a meal (or just a Tanna tea) with a tau. I have no real clue, but I'm assuming the vespids eat some kind of insect slush soup, like spiders or something from reality.

generally in sci-fi unless told otherwise I assume an omnivarious diet. Animals that are able to consume meat tend to develop better brains, due to needing to cordinate in hunting as well as the protien. however at the same time human civilization got it's start with agriculture and there;s no reason to assume that'd not be the norm.

We know the Tau are omnivorous because the Fire cast evolved from drovers and the Earth cast evolved from farmers and the Water caste were fisherfolk. Its highly likely that they eat very similar food to humans, but... native to their home planets rather than ours. So their steak will be from some five-legged skinny critter with scales and a beak, but it'll still be roughly analogous to a steak.