Klah is a restorative drink that is commonly drunk around Pern. It is made from the bark of the Klah tree. Though the taste is very different, it is considered to be the Pernese equivalent of coffee, described as being like a mix of coffee and chocolate, with a faint aftertaste of cinnamon. The EEC team which first discovered it liked it very much, and brought back some for the team-member on the ship to sample.
The younger tree bark was harsh, but it worked for Menolly, the bark is ground up, and brewed, if left too long on the fire, it can become very bitter.
All About Klah (taken from The Dragonlover's Guide To Pern, Second Edition, by Jody Lynn with Anne McCaffrey)
- "This spicy drink is generally served hot, possibly with milk and/or sweetening, sometimes with a splash of a warming liquor. It is brewed from the bark of a native tree. The flavor is something like cinnamony chocolate, with a touch of hazelnut and coffee. It can be drunk cold, but the preferred taste is warm. Klah contains a mild stimulant like caffeine and is used as the morning drink. Everyone but infants drinks klah. Children frequently mix theirs with sweetening and milk until they get used to the pungent infusion."
An Earth equivalent to klah
- Mix together:
- 2 tablespoons sweet ground chocolate
- 1/2 cup dark cocoa
- 3/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon dark instant coffee crystals, ground to powder
- a small pinch of nutmeg
- Use two to four teaspoons of the mixture per cup of boiling water. Stir well. The klah should be thick, much like hot cocoa.