Trask Chowder was a famous cephalopod-and-rice chowder from the moon of Trask. In 9 ABY, the Mandalorian Din Djarin purchased some for the foundling Grogu at an inn, while others at the inn also enjoyed the chowder. A recipe for the soup was included in the Artiodac chef Strono Tuggs's The Life Day Cookbook.
Trask Chowder was a thick, chunky, beige-colored chowder made with a squid that was served at an inn on Trask, a moon of the gas giant Kol Iben. Trask was famous for its chowder, and depending on the chef, it could be made with rice. Made in large batches, the soup was intended to warm up the moon's hungry fishermen after working hard in the sea; thus, it was added to many winter celebrations. Some bowls of chowder included a live cephalopod, adding unexpected flavor.
Grogu enjoys some chowder.
In 9 ABY, the Mandalorian Din Djarin visited the inn with the infant foundling Grogu. He sat down at a table and ordered chowder for Grogu from a Mon Calamari server, paying for it in Calamari Flan. The server used a fat hose affixed to the ceiling to dispense chowder into a bowl for Grogu, who struggled eat it with a spoon before being attacked by the soup's cephalopod. Djarin helped the infant remove the cephalopod from his face.
At the same time, a pair of Mon Calamari sat nearby eating chowder, along with a group of Quarren, one of whom shook seasoning onto the dish. Djarin later returned to the inn along with fellow Mandalorians Bo-Katan Kryze, Koska Reeves, and Axe Woves. While the quartet discussed their future plans, Reeves consumed a bowl of chowder, slurping the cephalopod with ease.
The Artiodac chef Strono Tuggs included a recipe for Trask's chowder in his second cookbook, The Life Day Cookbook, published after his first in 34 ABY. In the book, he mentioned that he expected anyone who had visited Trask would have certainly sampled the famous chowder, and he also opined that while it lacked an appealing appearance, its taste made up for it. He also recommended that young individuals keep to the soup without any live cephalopods—just broth and rice—in order to be safe.
Christian Alzmann's concept art of chowder
Trask Chowder first appeared in "Chapter 11: The Heiress," the third episode of the second season of the live-action series The Mandalorian, which aired on November 13, 2020. The dish was only referred to as "chowder" in the episode. Concept art for chowder was revealed in the credits of the episode, and a high-quality version was showcased in the "Mando Download"—a part of the episode's guide—the following Monday. The art was done by Christian Alzmann. While the sketch displayed a thin soup, the final prop used in the episode was more viscous.
Chowder later received an entry in the 2021 recipe book Star Wars: The Life Day Cookbook, authored by Jenn Fujikawa and Marc Sumerak, where it received the full identification of "Trask Chowder." The out-of-universe recipe for the soup includes brown rice, extra-virgin olive oil, shiitake mushrooms, an onion, garlic cloves, ginger, dried shrimp, water, shrimp, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, scallions, and canned octopus.
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