-  Living in an eviroment where resources are generally fairly scarce and that is extremely reliant on provider guilds - ie hunters, trappers, cultivators - Ko-Matoran have evolved extremely resiliant digestive systems, and an absolutely raging metabolism.

So long as it’s even semi-edible, if it’s put in front of a Ko-Matoran, they are liable to stick it in their mouth to at least test if they can chew and swallow it (chewing is optional).

- These icy bitches got TEETH. Throughout their lifetime (if not transformed into a Toa/Turaga) Ko-Matoran shed their teeth three times, gaining their final, permanant set once they reach adolescence. They possess not two, but four sets of canines used for tearing meat and cracking bones and shell. Some say it’s their teeth you need to be afraid of, not their tongues. 

- The Ko people are almost entirely reliant on professional guilds for their food - ie hunters, trappers, fishermen, cultivators, etc. These are the Matoran that are considered the blood and bone of the Ko-Matoran, whereas the scholars and Seers are the mind and soul. 

- NOTHING goes to waste in a Ko settlement, it’s considered downright rude to not finish your food during a meal, though some leeway is given to food that does not easily perish. 

Bones. Fucking BONES are the potato chips of Ko-Matoran; more specifically, the marrow. Calcium is a must in a cold region and is needed to maintain their sharp, shell and bone cracking teeth. The fatty marrow is also a staple in the Ko-Matoran’s diet to suppliment a near wholely carnivorous diet. 

They also may or may not think it’s funny to watch non-Ko residents squirm and flinch when they casually bite into a bone leftover from last night’s roast Pokawi. Cronch.

- IT’S SNACK TIME EVERY TIME. Nothing distracts a mind more than an empty stomach, so it’s actually encouraged for Ko-Matoran to carry something on them to eat, even in study and sacred spaces such as Towers and temples (just be sure it’s not something crunchy).

- Many theorize that one of the reasons Ko-Matoran do not want to put stock into history is because they have a concerningly long record of cannibalism in their own history...

- There are two types of Ko-Matoran: you have, “I will literally eat this recently deceased, half frozen Muaka whole without salt”, and then you have, “I want to destroy my mine and everyone else’s GI tract with spice”. 

- Drying, canning, preserving and curing are their own sciences to Ko-Matoran. 

There may or may not be a quiet rivalry between the Ko and Ta-Matoran when it comes to jerky making. 

- Sugar is not prevelant in the Ko-Matoran diet; the few types of vegetation they can cultivate is primarily in the tuber family, but, they have long cultivated fully edible and sweet types of evergreen and winterberries. 

Ko-Matoran who cultivate tubers and other winter-hardy vegetation are refered to as cultivators rather than farmers. With soil being rather poor, and cultivation being its own genre of science, cultivators will grow these precious resources in igloo-like “greenhouses” that create just the right enviroment to grow these foods. Winterberries and other evergreen fruits are generally able to grow outside under a careful eye.

Ko-Matoran are not lightweights. They have long learned to distill winterberries and ferment their sugars to create a wide array of tart and chilled wines and alcoholic mixes. They have their own version of Moonshine and Vodka made from winterberries and their tubers, respectively. 

- Though they have established trade between other Matoran in the past and to this day, Ko-Matoran are a proud people that generally wish to remain selfsustaining when it comes to their food sources. Exceptions are given to their Ga-Matroan sisters as fellow fishermen, and trade of fish, crustaceans, sea greens, mullisks, and sea game are common between the two. 

- The Hunter’s Feast. As the centuries long and sole providers of the Ko people, hunters and other providers for the Ko-Matoran are celebrated yearly on the week of the last harvest/end of hunting season; just before winter fully sets in. Hunters and providers are hailed during this time, and a festival is thrown to honor them and the Rahi that have been hunted to feed them.

Newly established hunters will often wear monikers of their first official Rahi kill. This moniker will become their guide and patron that they will abide by and honor the hunter’s code by for the rest of their lives.

Idols and symbols of hunted Rahi are used in reverence to the Rahi themselves. Death is not a grievence for the Ko-people, but it is rather a precursor and catalyst to life. The death of a Rahi will ensure the continued life of a Matoran, ergo why nothing is wasted, and why there are such strict rules and hunting seasons.

Wasting a Rahi carcass or hunting out of season is more than enough to get you exiled and your place in a hunting guild removed. 

Hunting guilds are considered their own governing system, and in fact have similar if not equal power to their Turaga’s ruling. There exist a few accounts of hunting guilds removing their own Turaga from office when it was felt they were not making the best decisions to provide for their charges.

Hunting guilds will often have one leader or a small panel of chief hunters to manage individual guild groups.

- Food is meant to be shared; be it with friends, strangers, or hunting companion Rahi (especially hunting Rahi). Though Ko-Matoran are considered generally solitary even among each other, it is unusual for a Ko-Matoran to eat alone. 

More often than not, a Ko-Matoran settlement will have a communal kitchen and dining hall where food can be cooked, served, and shared. Ko-Matoran can often bring raw food to these kitchens to cook themselves or have any of the station cooks to do with as they please. This prevents food waste and sees that everyone is fed and not liable to become “hangry”. 

Returning hunters eat free at these kitchens. Hunters spend anywhere from three days to two weeks hunting for one Rahi, often surviving on rations and nearly starved when they return. 

- Due to a primarily carnivorous diet that has a very low ratio of vegitation and fruits, Ko-Matoran are commonly afflicted with at least one vitamin deficiancy. These days these deficiances can be eaisly corrected with suppliments gained from their neighboring tribes.

The apothocaries of the Le and Ga regions are exceptionally popular for Ko-Matoran with deficiancies to frequent.

And that’s all I got for now, might come back to this and add more. I’m just bored and felt like writing this out! 

Enjoy and feel free to add your own HCs on food culture in the Bionicle universe!!