What do Centaurs eat?

[Incriptus]

When the rest of the group is in town enjoying a home cooked meal, would my centaur be hunting or foraging

... Tacos?

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

To tell what something eats (IRL) look at it's mouth and teeth. Centaurs have human heads and teeth. I would make the ruling that they are omnivores and eat human style food. i would also throw in that given their horse size and level of activity that they eat a LOT of food (mostly proteins and carbs to fuel the calories they need).

[mercedogre]

chimichangas!!

[say652]

I voted either.

I imagine since average weight is 700lbs they would require four times the calorie intake of a human.

[kaid]

To tell what something eats (IRL) look at it's mouth and teeth. Centaurs have human heads and teeth. I would make the ruling that they are omnivores and eat human style food. i would also throw in that given their horse size and level of activity that they eat a LOT of food (mostly proteins and carbs to fuel the calories they need).

Yup that is usually the best way to go check the teeth. They clearly have human like mouth structure so are going to be lacking the teeth to effectively eat plant materials in the way horses do. Also they typically are shown with bows/spears so omnivorous would be the likely choice here. It is a pretty proven diet style for mid/large size critters.

[Bill]

In Greek mythology, centaurs eat raw flesh and drink heavily. The word centaur (kentauroi in Greek) means bull killer, so beef is probably on the menu. A typical horse consumes up to 30 thousand calories a day, alcohol would be a fast way to get that.

Greek centaurs were typically savages though, so you may want to take your character's backstory into account.

[glitterboy2098]

In Greek mythology, centaurs eat raw flesh and drink heavily. The word centaur (kentauroi in Greek) means bull killer, so beef is probably on the menu. A typical horse consumes up to 30 thousand calories a day, alcohol would be a fast way to get that.

Greek centaurs were typically savages though, so you may want to take your character's backstory into account.

actually makes some sense here.. as pointed out they have human omnivore dentition. so they clearly can eat meat.
they also mostly reside on plains and large grasslands (this is from the mythology as well). such environments don't really offer much in the way of plant based diets, especially if your nomadic like centaurs are in both game and myth. so meat, via hunting of deer, bison, wild cattle, rabbits, what have you, would be the available food to build a diet around.

in regards to the mythology too, IRL many folklorists and historians believe the tales of centaurs originated as garbled accounts of the Eurasian Steppe Nomads,, which were highly skilled horseriders and had cultures so heavily centered on horses that it came to be said in later centuries they did everything while riding them. for those trying to understand what i'm talking about, i'm referring to the ethnic groups that went on to produce the Cimmerians in 800BC, and later the Mongols and Seljuk in AD800 onward. (and who's tribes, between those periods, forced a lot of less mounted tribes into migrations, like the Huns, Goths, etc,)
distant spiritual cousins to the Sioux and Comanche of the american west, effectively. theses were nomadic herdsmen that had diets high in animal flesh, supplemented by gathering locally available wild plants.


so for Centaurs, using the Mongols and other societies that revolve around horses as an inspiration for diet and culture might not be a bad idea.

[Blue_Lion]

Centaurs eat allot, and what ever they want.

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

In Greek mythology, centaurs eat raw flesh and drink heavily. The word centaur (kentauroi in Greek) means bull killer, so beef is probably on the menu. A typical horse consumes up to 30 thousand calories a day, alcohol would be a fast way to get that.

Greek centaurs were typically savages though, so you may want to take your character's backstory into account.

Greek! Centaurs eat sheep and goats!! I say this because that's what pops into my head when I think of Grecian agriculture. (I'm pulling everything that follows out of thin air) I think that cattle would be imported water buffalo and used mainly as beasts of burden. For a rocky terrain like Greece I wouldn't think that it would support free roaming herds of of bovines. Sheep and goats however, are hardy critters.

[Bill]

In Greek mythology, centaurs eat raw flesh and drink heavily. The word centaur (kentauroi in Greek) means bull killer, so beef is probably on the menu. A typical horse consumes up to 30 thousand calories a day, alcohol would be a fast way to get that.

Greek centaurs were typically savages though, so you may want to take your character's backstory into account.

Greek! Centaurs eat sheep and goats!! I say this because that's what pops into my head when I think of Grecian agriculture. (I'm pulling everything that follows out of thin air) I think that cattle would be imported water buffalo and used mainly as beasts of burden. For a rocky terrain like Greece I wouldn't think that it would support free roaming herds of of bovines. Sheep and goats however, are hardy critters.

While the islands tend to be rocky, the mainland includes plains; especially toward Anatolia. The ancient Greeks hunted aurochs, one of the ancient breeds that modern cattle are descended from, and kept domesticated oxen for labor and sacrificial offerings. Check out this neat fresco of bull-leaping from Knossos.

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

In Greek mythology, centaurs eat raw flesh and drink heavily. The word centaur (kentauroi in Greek) means bull killer, so beef is probably on the menu. A typical horse consumes up to 30 thousand calories a day, alcohol would be a fast way to get that.

Greek centaurs were typically savages though, so you may want to take your character's backstory into account.

Greek! Centaurs eat sheep and goats!! I say this because that's what pops into my head when I think of Grecian agriculture. (I'm pulling everything that follows out of thin air) I think that cattle would be imported water buffalo and used mainly as beasts of burden. For a rocky terrain like Greece I wouldn't think that it would support free roaming herds of of bovines. Sheep and goats however, are hardy critters.

While the islands tend to be rocky, the mainland includes plains; especially toward Anatolia. The ancient Greeks hunted aurochs, one of the ancient breeds that modern cattle are descended from, and kept domesticated oxen for labor and sacrificial offerings. Check out this neat fresco of bull-leaping from Knossos.

Thanks Bill!

[Killer Cyborg]

In Greek mythology, centaurs eat raw flesh and drink heavily. The word centaur (kentauroi in Greek) means bull killer, so beef is probably on the menu. A typical horse consumes up to 30 thousand calories a day, alcohol would be a fast way to get that.

Greek centaurs were typically savages though, so you may want to take your character's backstory into account.

actually makes some sense here.. as pointed out they have human omnivore dentition. so they clearly can eat meat.
they also mostly reside on plains and large grasslands (this is from the mythology as well). such environments don't really offer much in the way of plant based diets, especially if your nomadic like centaurs are in both game and myth. so meat, via hunting of deer, bison, wild cattle, rabbits, what have you, would be the available food to build a diet around.

in regards to the mythology too, IRL many folklorists and historians believe the tales of centaurs originated as garbled accounts of the Eurasian Steppe Nomads,, which were highly skilled horseriders and had cultures so heavily centered on horses that it came to be said in later centuries they did everything while riding them. for those trying to understand what i'm talking about, i'm referring to the ethnic groups that went on to produce the Cimmerians in 800BC, and later the Mongols and Seljuk in AD800 onward. (and who's tribes, between those periods, forced a lot of less mounted tribes into migrations, like the Huns, Goths, etc,)
distant spiritual cousins to the Sioux and Comanche of the american west, effectively. theses were nomadic herdsmen that had diets high in animal flesh, supplemented by gathering locally available wild plants.


so for Centaurs, using the Mongols and other societies that revolve around horses as an inspiration for diet and culture might not be a bad idea.

Yeah, when he mentioned centaurs eating raw meat, that reminded me of the suspected origins of centaurs, poor descriptions of riders on horseback.
It also reminded me that the Mongols invented Steak Tartare by keeping slabs of raw meat under their saddles until tenderized.

[dragonfett]

In Greek mythology, centaurs eat raw flesh and drink heavily. The word centaur (kentauroi in Greek) means bull killer, so beef is probably on the menu. A typical horse consumes up to 30 thousand calories a day, alcohol would be a fast way to get that.

Greek centaurs were typically savages though, so you may want to take your character's backstory into account.

actually makes some sense here.. as pointed out they have human omnivore dentition. so they clearly can eat meat.
they also mostly reside on plains and large grasslands (this is from the mythology as well). such environments don't really offer much in the way of plant based diets, especially if your nomadic like centaurs are in both game and myth. so meat, via hunting of deer, bison, wild cattle, rabbits, what have you, would be the available food to build a diet around.

in regards to the mythology too, IRL many folklorists and historians believe the tales of centaurs originated as garbled accounts of the Eurasian Steppe Nomads,, which were highly skilled horseriders and had cultures so heavily centered on horses that it came to be said in later centuries they did everything while riding them. for those trying to understand what i'm talking about, i'm referring to the ethnic groups that went on to produce the Cimmerians in 800BC, and later the Mongols and Seljuk in AD800 onward. (and who's tribes, between those periods, forced a lot of less mounted tribes into migrations, like the Huns, Goths, etc,)
distant spiritual cousins to the Sioux and Comanche of the american west, effectively. theses were nomadic herdsmen that had diets high in animal flesh, supplemented by gathering locally available wild plants.


so for Centaurs, using the Mongols and other societies that revolve around horses as an inspiration for diet and culture might not be a bad idea.

Yeah, when he mentioned centaurs eating raw meat, that reminded me of the suspected origins of centaurs, poor descriptions of riders on horseback.
It also reminded me that the Mongols invented Steak Tartare by keeping slabs of raw meat under their saddles until tenderized.

Where did you hear that about steak tartare?

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

In Greek mythology, centaurs eat raw flesh and drink heavily. The word centaur (kentauroi in Greek) means bull killer, so beef is probably on the menu. A typical horse consumes up to 30 thousand calories a day, alcohol would be a fast way to get that.

Greek centaurs were typically savages though, so you may want to take your character's backstory into account.

actually makes some sense here.. as pointed out they have human omnivore dentition. so they clearly can eat meat.
they also mostly reside on plains and large grasslands (this is from the mythology as well). such environments don't really offer much in the way of plant based diets, especially if your nomadic like centaurs are in both game and myth. so meat, via hunting of deer, bison, wild cattle, rabbits, what have you, would be the available food to build a diet around.

in regards to the mythology too, IRL many folklorists and historians believe the tales of centaurs originated as garbled accounts of the Eurasian Steppe Nomads,, which were highly skilled horseriders and had cultures so heavily centered on horses that it came to be said in later centuries they did everything while riding them. for those trying to understand what i'm talking about, i'm referring to the ethnic groups that went on to produce the Cimmerians in 800BC, and later the Mongols and Seljuk in AD800 onward. (and who's tribes, between those periods, forced a lot of less mounted tribes into migrations, like the Huns, Goths, etc,)
distant spiritual cousins to the Sioux and Comanche of the american west, effectively. theses were nomadic herdsmen that had diets high in animal flesh, supplemented by gathering locally available wild plants.


so for Centaurs, using the Mongols and other societies that revolve around horses as an inspiration for diet and culture might not be a bad idea.

Yeah, when he mentioned centaurs eating raw meat, that reminded me of the suspected origins of centaurs, poor descriptions of riders on horseback.
It also reminded me that the Mongols invented Steak Tartare by keeping slabs of raw meat under their saddles until tenderized.

Where did you hear that about steak tartare?

Food Network, Travel Channel, and History Channel.

[glitterboy2098]

given the dish is French in origin, the name a shortening of "à la tartare" (meaning served with tartar sauce) Europe had a lot of ground/finechopped raw-meat dishes during the middle ages, and more than a few stuck around. one of the ones from the germanies (using horsemeat) made its way to france after some religious laws got passed, and then evolved over a century or so into a dish called "beefsteack à l'Américaine" in the early 190o's, though it evidently didn't have any connection to america beyond the name (it was popular in french cuisine at the time to attribute an international origin to otherwise plain dishes, to make it seem more exotic) when the fad passed it came to just ne known as beefsteack à la tartare, then eventually just "steak tartar"

any relationship to the Tartar people of central asia is a false story, usually created by people who don't knw the original origin. the similarity of the name to the central asian tribe is just a coincidental quirk of language. note that there are many variations of the "put meat under the saddle" myth.. the more common one in europe actually attributes the origin to American cowboys.

historically the Mongols did sometimes put bits of meat under their saddles, but as poultices to help treat sores on the horse's back caused by long hard riding. they did not eat the results.

[Svartalf]

and the worst is that WE attribute the "raw steak under the saddle" legend to Attila the Hun, and it has nothing to do with steak tartare which is cut fine (NOT ground) rather than tenderized.

and the 'à l'Américaine' steak was topped with a raw egg... salmonella land, here we come.

[taalismn]

Omnivores....they can eat like horses when game is scarce, and they have to live off the land, using those big guts to process forage.
Probably like/need a diet high in fiber, too.

[Suicycho]

I refuse to vote in ANY poll that does not have tacos as an option...

[taalismn]

I refuse to vote in ANY poll that does not have tacos as an option...

Ah, the centaur taco.....a soft flatbread holder around a heap of nearly raw MEAT(if it's cooked, it's been roasted by a brushfire)..Ready at hand, ready to go. Bonus points if sauced with the blood of your enemies.

[glitterboy2098]

and the worst is that WE attribute the "raw steak under the saddle" legend to Attila the Hun, and it has nothing to do with steak tartare which is cut fine (NOT ground) rather than tenderized.

and the 'à l'Américaine' steak was topped with a raw egg... salmonella land, here we come.

yeah, though the original dish, prior to the "à l'Américaine" actually did have Tartar sauce instead of the egg and seasonings. (tartar sauce back then used an egg base though), and the two types wound up being labelled the same thing post WW2.


the Mongols and related cultures actually ate stuff like Khorkhog (mutton steamed/heated in a sealed pot via hot stones, basically a low water use crockpot), or Khuushuur (fried dumplings made with spiced meat.. Mutton, Pork, Beef, Goat, Horse, or even Camel), though i suspect that the Mongol's historically used a lot of variations on "hold a slab of meat over a fire till cooked" (things like the dumplings likely represent an adaption of chinese cuisine)

one of them ore interesting things they did (and their descendants still do today) is make alcoholic drinks from Milk. basically by taking milk and adding a specific variety of bacteria to cause it to go sour i na very specific fashion, producing alcohol. the end result, i understand, is something like a alcoholic yogurt drink. they also made the usual milk based foods.. cheese, curds, etc.

[taalismn]

[
one of them ore interesting things they did (and their descendants still do today) is make alcoholic drinks from Milk. basically by taking milk and adding a specific variety of bacteria to cause it to go sour i na very specific fashion, producing alcohol. the end result, i understand, is something like a alcoholic yogurt drink. they also made the usual milk based foods.. cheese, curds, etc.

...Supposedly churned in a skin sack carried under a saddle; food processing on the go.

[Killer Cyborg]

historically the Mongols did sometimes put bits of meat under their saddles, but as poultices to help treat sores on the horse's back caused by long hard riding. they did not eat the results.

They also weren't really centaurs.

[Zer0 Kay]

Human: Well I'd guess oats and apples and alfalfa and sugar cubes and...
Centaur: You racist poke... Wait did you say you have a sugar cube?

[Svartalf]

[
one of them ore interesting things they did (and their descendants still do today) is make alcoholic drinks from Milk. basically by taking milk and adding a specific variety of bacteria to cause it to go sour i na very specific fashion, producing alcohol. the end result, i understand, is something like a alcoholic yogurt drink. they also made the usual milk based foods.. cheese, curds, etc.

...Supposedly churned in a skin sack carried under a saddle; food processing on the go.

complete legend. Bishkek, the capital of Kirgyzstan is named after a paddle used to churn milk in butter and kumys making.

[SpiritInterface]

Gyros and Uzo, like any good Greek.

[Zer0 Kay]

Gyros and Uzo, like any good Greek.

Now I'm hungry...

[guardiandashi]

well on the mongols it may be myth and such, but the local Mongolian grill has a sign (in the us) that they sometimes would put especially tough cuts in a bag under the saddle to be tenderized while riding. then when they were ready to eat would clean a shield (metal) and throw it over the fire, and once it was hot grilled (fried) the food on the shields.

note I am not saying its all true, just what their sign claims.

[glitterboy2098]

except that the style of cooking we recognize as "Mongolian grill" actually is wholly from Taiwan, derived from Japanese teppanyaki. with no connection to the mongols at all beyond the name (the first restaurant called itself "Genghis Khan Mongolian BBQ", opened in Taipei in 1976, and called itself that because one of the japanese names for the style of cooking was "Jingisukan"*, which sounds like "ghengis khan". most of the myths surrounding "Mongolian BBQ" were created by these early restaurants as marketing aids, despite having no basis in reality or history what so ever.


in actuality the Mongols tenderize their meat the same was as the Europeans, the Chinese, or any other culture did in that time.. they hung it out to rot for 3-4 days. (a method that would eventually evolve into the modern "dry aging', which adds a refrigeration aspect to prevent the meat from going bad as quickly) which frankly is still less disgusting than the idea they ate horse-sweat impregnated meat


*actually the name is beleived to be a highly mangled attempt to say "ghenghis khan", as the original cooking method of roasting bits of lamb on a upturned metal dish was originally attributed to the mongols in pre-war japan.. despite the fact the mongol derived Chinese never made it to that part of japan, and the fact that the ones that DID reach japan were not using solid metal armor or eating much Lamb. and the fact that the cooking methods was just a derivative of other Japanese methods in surrounding areas. even in early japan, marketing was a powerful force. the actual orgins seem to be in 1918, when the modernizing Japanese government got rid of sheep raising anywhere but Hokkaidō, and greatly increased the sizes of those flocks.. resulting in a surplus of sheep for consumption.

[kaid]

[
one of them ore interesting things they did (and their descendants still do today) is make alcoholic drinks from Milk. basically by taking milk and adding a specific variety of bacteria to cause it to go sour i na very specific fashion, producing alcohol. the end result, i understand, is something like a alcoholic yogurt drink. they also made the usual milk based foods.. cheese, curds, etc.

...Supposedly churned in a skin sack carried under a saddle; food processing on the go.

And for real food on the go the horse nomad way to get food/water when desperate was to tap a neck vein of the horse directly and either add the blood to milk or drink it straight from the horse which while nasty apparently can be done safely for the horse.

[taalismn]

"Welcome to the Steppe Bar and Grill. Please feel free to take a stall or find a place at the firepit while the waiter runs down your order."

[Library Ogre]

Human children.
-Official Answer, Coalition Ministry of Truth

[taalismn]

Human children.
-Official Answer, Coalition Ministry of Truth

I take it that 'A Modest Proposal' is decried by the inner circles of licensed-literacy Coalition intelligentsia as a sign of earlier infiltration of the Earth by human-eating d-bees?

[Library Ogre]

Human children.
-Official Answer, Coalition Ministry of Truth

I take it that 'A Modest Proposal' is decried by the inner circles of licensed-literacy Coalition intelligentsia as a sign of earlier infiltration of the Earth by human-eating d-bees?

Pfft. Like that survived, or would be allowed out of the Black Library.

[taalismn]

[

Pfft. Like that survived, or would be allowed out of the Black Library.

Maybe Uncle Joe gets an occasional laugh out of it, when he's not re-reading Mein Kampf and The Prince. Or his assembled copy of the Evil Overlord's List.

[Zer0 Kay]

except that the style of cooking we recognize as "Mongolian grill" actually is wholly from Taiwan, derived from Japanese teppanyaki. with no connection to the mongols at all beyond the name (the first restaurant called itself "Genghis Khan Mongolian BBQ", opened in Taipei in 1976, and called itself that because one of the japanese names for the style of cooking was "Jingisukan"*, which sounds like "ghengis khan". most of the myths surrounding "Mongolian BBQ" were created by these early restaurants as marketing aids, despite having no basis in reality or history what so ever.


in actuality the Mongols tenderize their meat the same was as the Europeans, the Chinese, or any other culture did in that time.. they hung it out to rot for 3-4 days. (a method that would eventually evolve into the modern "dry aging', which adds a refrigeration aspect to prevent the meat from going bad as quickly) which frankly is still less disgusting than the idea they ate horse-sweat impregnated meat


*actually the name is beleived to be a highly mangled attempt to say "ghenghis khan", as the original cooking method of roasting bits of lamb on a upturned metal dish was originally attributed to the mongols in pre-war japan.. despite the fact the mongol derived Chinese never made it to that part of japan, and the fact that the ones that DID reach japan were not using solid metal armor or eating much Lamb. and the fact that the cooking methods was just a derivative of other Japanese methods in surrounding areas. even in early japan, marketing was a powerful force. the actual orgins seem to be in 1918, when the modernizing Japanese government got rid of sheep raising anywhere but Hokkaidō, and greatly increased the sizes of those flocks.. resulting in a surplus of sheep for consumption.

You sir are a spring of trivial knowledge. I'd hate to see what you could do if you turned that brain power to E-viiiiiiil. ...then again, what is it you do IRL? Mad scientist? Porn Director? ...HISTORIAN?!

[Wise_Owl]

I suppose the first essential question is 'Why are Centaurs Centaurs...', that is, did they 'evolve' that way? Were they created by magic? By some alien technology?

Looking at their biology you have a human torso attached at the point of the horse neck. So looking at the teeth may be a good indicator, but the next question really is where are the stomach(s)? Horses only have one, but their digestive tracks are very long permitting them to digest cellulose, among other things. The average horse ingests something like 8 or 9 KG of food a day. They digest cellulose in the 'hind-gut'. So the real question is, can Centaurs do that? They are likely Omnivores regardless, and their body geometry does not seem optimized for feeding on grasses, but they may still be 'able' to eat them. So the answer might be that they can eat a wider variety of grains than humans can, and with less processing(i.e they may eat unprocessed oats or wheat, rather than milling them into flour and than bread/noodles/dumplings/whatever)

[taalismn]

I suppose the first essential question is 'Why are Centaurs Centaurs...', that is, did they 'evolve' that way? Were they created by magic? By some alien technology?

Looking at their biology you have a human torso attached at the point of the horse neck. So looking at the teeth may be a good indicator, but the next question really is where are the stomach(s)? Horses only have one, but their digestive tracks are very long permitting them to digest cellulose, among other things. The average horse ingests something like 8 or 9 KG of food a day. They digest cellulose in the 'hind-gut'. So the real question is, can Centaurs do that? They are likely Omnivores regardless, and their body geometry does not seem optimized for feeding on grasses, but they may still be 'able' to eat them. So the answer might be that they can eat a wider variety of grains than humans can, and with less processing(i.e they may eat unprocessed oats or wheat, rather than milling them into flour and than bread/noodles/dumplings/whatever)

Plus anatomical issues....How many sets of lungs and where are the main lungs? Do they have dual hearts? Looking at Centaur stats stacked up against regular forces might suggest a few answers, but them again, there's the handwavium of 'possible magic creation' throwing a wrench into rational analysis.