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A taspar was a type of common, egg laying animal, which nested on Cardassia Prime. Taspar eggs were typically eaten boiled, but could be eaten raw, as well. Most Cardassians were revolted by the sight of live taspar; it had a brownish color and a gelatinous consistency.

As a starving homeless child, Madred scavenged for and ate live taspar straight from the shell. He found three eggs in a nest in a burnt-out building. Though he planned to save the other two for later, an older boy stole them from him, but not before breaking Madred's arm.

Several years later, in 2369, Gul Madred claimed to be serving his captive, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, boiled a taspar egg, a supposed delicacy, but in fact gave him a live taspar as food, in an effort to degrade him. Picard, however, refused to give in to Madred, and ate the raw Taspar, much to Madred's amusement. (TNG: "Chain Of Command, Part II")

According to the script, the contents of the egg were described as "[i]nstead of a boiled egg, it is raw and alive,... full of a pulsating, gelatinous blob. [...] Picard stares at it, revolted... [...] then Picard tips the egg into his mouth and takes the entire mass into his mouth. He chews and swallows – [...] Picard swallows the last of the creature." [1]
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