By Christa Protano
Have you ever wondered what your favorite literary characters would choose to eat for any given meal? Well you’re in luck, because there’s a collection of literary cookbooks by Thunder Bay Press full of recipes inspired by popular literary works. From timeless fairy tales and classic horror to regency romance and epic fantasy, these genres not only lend themselves to great storytelling, but mouthwatering culinary delights, too. Check out these tasty dishes we think literature’s most popular characters would love.
Flower Garden Sandwiches Fit for a Princess
In The Brothers Grimm Cookbook, we learn that many a garden scenes are set in Grimms’ fairy tales, from the sorceress’s kitchen garden in “Rapunzel” to the cottage garden with two red rose trees, one white, one red, at the beginning of “Snow-White and Rose-Red.” Perhaps that’s why we can picture two of our generation’s most time-honored princesses—Rapunzel and Snow White—nibbling on these Flower Garden Sandwiches for lunch. This pretty botanical-inspired dish is easy to customize in a variety of flavors to satisfy multiple palates, making it the perfect meal for a fairy-tale picnic. Click here to download the recipe.
Legolas’s Duck in Lettuce Boats
In The Lord of the Rings, you may remember the Elvish boats used to take the Fellowship down the Great River to Gondor. We think these fragile modes of transportation could have inspired a more delicate and edible vessel for the expert marksman Legolas to serve the game he may have hunted with his bow. Click here for the recipe for Legolas’s Duck in Lettuce Boats from The Elven Cookbook. The essential ingredient in this sticky and fragrant hot duck salad is Chinese five spice, a warming mix of fennel, clove, star anise, cassia, and ginger.
Your guests will be delighted to the point of madness when you serve these Lovecraft-inspired dishes!
The Darcys’ Pemberley Chestnut Soup
In Pride and Prejudice, chestnuts are one of the trees that Elizabeth admires on a visit to Mr. Darcy’s Pemberley estate. During the Regency era, chestnuts were largely planted for ornamental reasons, and their sweet fruits could also be used for cooking. Once married, we can picture Elizabeth sipping this chestnut soup on a cold, winter day and reminiscing about her first visit to Pemberley when her view of her would-be suitor began to change and she reflected that “to be mistress of Pemberley might be something.” Click here to make this earthy, warming soup from Jane Austen’s Table.
King Kuranes’s Cornish Cream Tea
During the many weird journeys that make up H.P. Lovecraft’s The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, main character Carter visits his old friend King Kuranes. Full of nostalgia, Kuranes has tried to recreate his childhood’s Cornish fishing village, which is why we think he would be a fan of the most Cornish of treats: the traditional cream tea. To prepare these delicious English scones the authentic Cornish way, click here for the recipe. Just be sure to spread the jam or preserves on first, then the cream—never the other way around!
The Green Dragon’s Mushroom and Leek Pie
As the heartiest and merriest meal of the day, supper is most looked forward to in the Hobbits’ daily routine and is often accompanied by song. So if you would like to eat like Frodo and friends, we suggest this vegetarian pub classic served at the Green Dragon in Bywater. While the recipe (found in Recipes from the World of Tolkien) makes for four individual mushroom and leek pies, you can also make one large pie and serve it as a vegetarian main course.
