Vorta Cuisine Headcanon:
Contrary to popular belief, the Vorta do have their own cultural cuisine. Because of their weak senses of taste and smell, Vorta meals center primarily around novel or pleasing textures, or entertaining serving and dining experiences. The flavor profiles are considered to be generally mild, with some exceptions.
Being an arboreal species, Vorta cuisine makes extensive use of berries, fruits, legumes and ground-dwelling melons in various forms (fresh, dried, juiced or pulped). Many of these berries and fruits are considered poisonous or irritating to other species. Qilava fruit and rippleberries are the most famous and well-liked and they offer the richest flavors to weak Vorta palates. Many products are flavored with syrups derived from these fruits.
Tree nuts, seeds, starchy roots, and edible barks are often used whole, pressed for oils or ground down into flours to make noodles, dumplings or unleavened breads. Stir-fried noodles are a staple street food in Vorta-friendly marketplaces.
Saps, nectars, and honeys are commonly used in raw form (and are frequently claimed to have extraordinary health benefits in this form, clinically unproven) or are cooked down into syrups, sauces, and candies. Many Vorta enjoy chewing rubber-like dried saps, which have a texture similar to chewing gum.
Fungi of various types are used in Vorta cuisine and natural medicines and as with the berries, are often toxic. Certain types of tender leaves are edible, while some tougher old leaves are used in teas, tinctures, or medicines.
Vorta did not hunt large game owing to their small size and relative weakness. They themselves are known to have developed from a prey species. Meat did not feature extensively in their diet, but was primarily limited to birds, fishes (in mangrove or coastal areas) rodents and small mammals, usually as a meal of opportunity, or in times of scarcity. Meats are used in various fashions, such as in broths, soups, stir-frying, drying, or slow-roasting. Fish roes became popular toppings for dishes because of their pleasing colors and textures–buyer beware, though: one of the most popular types of roe are loaded with naturally-occurring tetrodotoxins that cause Vorta lips and mouths to tingle, but can be lethal to others.
As the Vorta moved into service with the Dominion in increasing numbers, the practice of these skills has largely fallen away with the exception of some naturalist groups. Many of these foods can now be replicated and prepared on the fly. Some devoutly religious sects eschew modernized luxuries and harvest and prepare meals from the land in the old ways as a practice of faith and respect, but most Vorta are happy just to pop their meal out of a replicator–or better yet, order pizza.
This is a fantastic post, I really love how detailed it is! The bit at the end about devoutly religious sects shunning the use of replicators and preparing their food in the old way is interesting. Do you think that Weyoun, while he replicates food away from home, would prepare meals himself when on his homeworld? We have all observed how devout he is, so perhaps he might stick to the old way when he can?
Also, on an amusing note, imagine Weyoun chewing rubberised sap really loudly in the presence of a Dukat and Damar, to the point that Damar feels like knocking it out of his mouth.
