Kanotak Pigment Foods

The Kanotak may alter the color of their naturally translucent blue skin by eating foods containing certain compounds. These foods are called pigment foods, and the Kanotak have perfected their use over centuries. Pigment foods can be used by Kanotak to attain virtually any skin color.
There are a wide variety of pigment foods, and each compound results in a different color. Some compounds are more commonly found in a variety of ingredients and are therefore that respective color is easier to maintain. Some compounds are rarer and more expensive, and the skin colors those produce are often treated as a sign of wealth.
Not all Kanotak bother with pigment foods, and some even use them as normal ingredients in food with regard only for the flavor and not the color it will turn them. These Kanotak tend to have dark brown skin, with the color being duller and less vibrant than the brown hues attained using a well chosen pigment food.

History

Pigment foods have been used by the Kanotak since before the beginning of their recorded history. In the millennia that followed, they carefully perfected the art. Some colors that were historically viewed as a sign of status result from traditionally harder to obtain pigment foods. Nowadays, though some pigment foods are still a little more expensive than others, all pigment foods are more or less readily available to Kanotak on Isso for a reasonable price. The popularity of modern Kanotak skin colors comes and goes with fads.

Execution

Kanotak that use pigment foods typically use the one for their preferred color in at least one meal per day, carefully measuring out exactly how much is needed to maintain the right shade of color.
When a Kanotak wants to switch to a different color, they first have to wait for the previous color to fade, which can take up to a week depending on the color and saturation.