A very intriguing prompt for this week’s Wyrd & Wonder: Eye of Newt! Magical ingredients, spell components or fantasy cooking… or any story tropes or character ingredients that make the perfect brew for the reader in us. This got me thinking of some of the interesting fictional cuisine items that I have come across in fantasy books!
Butterbeer | Harry Potter series
Lembas Bread | The Lord of the Rings
Wonka Chocolate Bars | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Queen of Hearts’ Tarts | Alice in Wonderland
Goblin Fruit | The Goblin Market
Death of Marat | Sunshine
Nobby’s Mum’s Distressed Pudding | Discworld series
Pop Biscuits | The Folk of the Faraway Tree
Groosling Soup | The Hunger Games
Just… some Honey | Winnie-the-Pooh
Any of these be your “eye of newt”? Did you recall any of these dishes? Did you ever try to give them some mundane world recipes? Did this post bring on some hunger pangs? Spill the beans! 😉
4 replies on “Eye of Newt: Fictional Food for Thought”
I actually drank a version of Butterbeer in Orlando in some Harry Potter world — I don‘t recall which park it was. Anyway, it was not a highlight for my taste buds… 😏
I remember the first four items for sure, plus Pooh’s honey of course! And there’s the folktale trope of never eating food offered to you when in the land of the fairies or, unlike Persephone, you’d never return to your own world and time.
Honey is an often overlooked favorite! 😉
I’ve helped plan and cook for multiple fantasy-themed parties, so I’ve made versions of both Butterbeer and Lembas (plus LOTS of other Potter and LOTR themed foods). I like the Universal theme parks’ version of Butterbeer better than the version we made, though. (Ours was a non-alcoholic twist on hot buttered rum.)
I often wondered what Lembas would taste like!
Another food item that intrigues me is the sauce from When Mrs. Coverlet Was Away, which the youngest sibling creates to tempt a pet’s appetite. It is so delicious, his siblings start selling it
Or the honest bread from Ginnie and the Cooking Contest that she has to rely on when her original entry is destroyed.