Delicious food and good books. My two favorite recreational drugs (Oh, and Netflix. That too). Sometimes those things come together to make for a delicious reading experience or a novel meal.
Now, while I may have run to the pantry and frantically rooted around for something – anything – after drooling on pages describing a feast at Hogwarts or King’s Landing or an impromptu meal at Kay Scarpetta’s, I’ve never actually tried to cook anything from a novel.
Until recently *blush*, I didn’t even know there were cookbooks inspired by some of my favorite stories. Much to my delight, I discovered there are quite a few tasty cookbooks, official and unofficial, born of a hungry imagination.
Here are five, for your reading and dining pleasure:
The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook by Dina Bucholz, boasting such recipes as Knickerbocker Glory, Pumpkin Pasties and Peppermint Humbugs.
The Unofficial Narnia Cookbook, also by Dina Bucholz, including recipes for Turkish Delight and Pigeon Stew with Wood Sorrel.
Food to Die For: Secrets from Kay Scarpetta’s Kitchen by Patricia Cornwell and Marlene Brown, with Kay’s Grilled Pizza and Lasagna *drool*.
The Unofficial Recipes of the Hunger Games by Rockridge University Press, featuring Greasy Sae’s Badger Stew (yum?), Arena Beef Strips Gamemakers’ Suckling Pig.
And last, but absolutely not least, A Feast of Ice & Fire by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel and Sariann Lehrer, with Honey-Spiced Locusts (you may want to have a poison taster take the first bite), Lemon Cakes and Bowl of Brown (probably best not to ask).
The LiteraryTraveler also explores delicious reads: 7 Cookbooks Inspired by Literature.
Writing this post has left me hungry enough to eat an aurochs.
Of course, they’re extinct.
I guess I’ll have to make do with a taco.
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What novels leave you hankering for a bite? Have you ever prepared food inspired by your favorite books?
Sonia G Medeiros 
That’ a nice list! And a great idea.
I remember reading a fantasy book when I was a teenager and finding a recipe for something in it later. That was pretty neat.
Great! Sometimes the descriptions of food in stories are so good. 🙂
This could be bad for me. 🙂
Hmmm…somehow I didn’t publish this when I thought I did. Oh well. Better late than never, I guess. 🙂 Here:
I hear you. I tend to gravitate towards the sweets. I could get in real trouble, espeically with the HP recipes. 😀
When I was in 5th grade I made a historical recipe from a historical fiction book I’d read. It was so much fun. My husband and I have actually made Butter Beer from the Harry Potter one. I’ve made several recipes I specifically made up for certain books and looking forward to figuring out a new one this month or next that sparked my interest after I used it in a book. I love book-inspired food and I’ve used a lot of recipes either directly lifted from books or inspired by them. 🙂
Sounds delicious! Did the butter beer live up to the fame?
sorry, the reply got tossed in my junk email box. Most ppl liked the Butter Beer, myself I found it too ‘buttery’, a little oily, but very flavorful.
Sounds interesting though. I’ll have to try it.
My spam filter is sometimes a little too enthusiastic as well. 🙂