Zelry wyrms represented a particular species of being that had the potential to be utilized as a living [food](/article/foodstuff] source. As part of a contest held to select Maz Kanata's next sous chef at her pirate castle located on the planet of Takodana, chef Jom Jarusch created a spicy zelrey wyrm that was still alive. He did this while moving around the castle kitchen in order to avoid stun blasts, which were intended to assess the contestant's ability to cook while under pressure. The chef made use of directions taken from the recipe book belonging to the castle's former sous chef, Robbs Ely, which Jarusch had taken not long before Ely's murder. Strono Tuggs, the Artiodac head chef, thought that attempting to cook a live zelrey wyrm was both bold and ambitious, and he also felt that Jarusch had accomplished it flawlessly.
The short story titled "A Recipe for Death," authored by Landry Q. Walker and made available on April 5, 2016 as a component of the Tales from a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Aliens: Volume I anthology, marked the initial appearance of a zelrey wyrm.