Of what did they taste?

[the guy who be short]

A question which I think is often (quite despicably) omitted from observation and study is the matter of what the races in Middle-Earth tasted like. I'm quite certain that investigation in this direction would reveal a lot about relationships between the species.

It is a well known fact that humans taste of pork, and there is no reason to believe the Men of Ennor didn't. Hobbits, being but a breed of men, were also probably porky, though more tender due to their size.

Then there is the question of the kindred of the Eldar. Is it to be presumed the taste depends on the body alone? For the Eldar were said to possess the bodies of Men, yet their Fea was different. Could the Fea affect the taste of a race?

Presuming taste is entirely physical, it is safe to assume the Eldar also tasted somewhat porky. However, if the Fea had any effect, who knows what they tasted like?

The question of the Fea leads us invariably to the Istari. Was it even possible to eat a Maia? Were the bodies they inhabited entirely identical to those of Men and Eldar (that is, porky) or different? Could the powerful Fea of these beings affect their taste? Did the Blue wizards actually taste Blue, or did the name relate to aesthetics only?

Of course, all the races above mentioned share, one presumes, the same type of physical body. What of other races?

The Dwarves were created by Aule of the Earth, or so it thought. Did the Dwarves taste of earth, or are these rumours completely unfounded? Surely by their gruff exterior, one would presume the Dwarves to be tougher and stronger flavoured than Men.

A mystery that continues to confuse scholars of our Age is the taste of the Ents. It is said in the Silmarillion that Ents are but spirits living in trees, akin to dryads. Again, the question of the Fea causes confusion. Did the Ents taste like trees, or was the Fea able to alter flavour?

And, of course, there are other races to consider. The Eagles, The Orcs, The Trolls, the Dragons.

Eagles, present the same question as Ents, in that they are spirits residing in the form of other beings. But what of the orcs and trolls, races perverted by Melkor? Perhaps orcs tasted of tormented pork? But what does tormented pork taste like? It is too cruel to torment pigs in our Age to find out.

Of the Dragons, I have few thoughts. The trolls were presumably woody, like Ents, but slightly more poisonous.

Any thoughts and ideas from you, my fellow Scholars of Middle-Earth, would be welcome.