tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Wed Apr 09 08:08:03 2008
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Re: Klingon WOTD: loSpev (noun)
>This is the Klingon Word Of The Day for Wednesday, April 9, 2008.
>
>Klingon word: loSpev
>Part of Speech: noun
>Definition: quadrotriticale
Never used in canon.
Trek Trivia:
According to _The Star Trek Encyclopedia_:
Genetically engineered grain developed on Earth from a four-lobed
hybrid of wheat and rye. The parent strain, triticale, was discovered
in 20th-century Canada. Quadrotriticale was the only Earth grain
that would grow on Sherman's Planet, and was thus critical to the
Federation's plan in 2267 to develop that world. A large quantity
of quadrotriticale was stored on Deep Space Station K-7 for that
project, but it was poisoned by a Klingon agent. The grain is
greenish in color. ("The Trouble with Tribbles" [TOS], "Trials
and Tribble-ations" [DS9]). Quark owed some quadrotriticale futures,
but they became worthless in 2373. ("Business As Usual" [DS9]).
According to Chekov, it was actually developed in Russia. (TOS "The Trouble
with Tribbles")
{loSpev} is now grown on some Klingon planets, where it's made into
{jInjoq}, a type of bread (KRAD: Klingon Empire: A Burning House [Keith
R.A. DeCandido]).
Cultural notes:
Grain is used in Klingon cooking:
KGT 89f: if [the meat] is fresh, the 'cook' may {pID} it, which involves
coating it with herbed granulated cartilage (not necessarily from the same
animal) mixed with some kind of {tIr} ("grain") and doing very little else.
The name of the granulated cartilage is {ngat}, which has also come to mean
"gunpowder".
KGT 93: A particularly popular dish, {tlhombuS}, requires that the cook
coat a block of {tlhagh} [animal fat] with a mixture of {ngat} (herbed
granulated cartilage) and {tIr} (grain) and then briefly immerse the block
into the already boiling fat, just until the coating hardens.
KGT 95: Domestic {HIq} [liquor] is distilled from a number of different
kinds of grain ({tIr}), with some additional constituents (of both plant
and animal origin, including {'Iw}, "blood") adding flavor and strength.
There's a real-world 20th century hybrid of wheat (Triticum) and rye
(Secale), known as triticale, that grows under rough conditions found in
Canada: "Triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack) is a man-made crop developed
by crossing wheat (Triticum turgidum or Triticum aestivum) with rye (Secale
cereale). Early attempts to cross wheat and rye produced only sterile
offspring. It was not until the 1930s that techniques were available to
produce fertile hybrids. Once this step was accomplished, it was possible
to develop new combinations between wheat and rye as well as direct
combinations between triticales with differing wheat and rye parents.
Consequently, new varieties of winter or spring triticale can be developed
with the same methods used for breeding other cereal crops. In 1953, the
University of Manitoba began the first North American triticale breeding
program. Early breeding efforts concentrated on developing a high yielding,
drought tolerant human food crop species suitable for marginal wheat
producing areas. In contrast, more recent programs concentrate on
developing improved animal feed and fodder varieties for production under a
number of diverse environmental conditions." (Entire article can be found
at
<http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex127?opendocument>http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex127?opendocument
)
Related nouns:
{tIr} "grain"; cf. also {naH} "fruit/vegetables", {tI} "vegetation".
Related verbs:
{poch} "plant"; {yob} "harvest"
--
Voragh
Ca'Non Master of the Klingons