A celebration of FANTASY FOOD

[Jackarandajam]

I just realized that in real life I'm a foodie, but my writing is completely devoid of FEASTS. I don't really mention much food at all, and when I do it's just in passing.

What are your favorite fantasy book foods, and/or what are some delicious foods you've written into your stories?

I've always found my mouth watering reading descriptions of the simple, hearty tavern meals; chunky stews and tall pints of foaming ale, flatbread and sausages for the road, berries and cream, hand-pressed apple cider in the autumn...

 

[pmmg]

Not much mention of actual food in my stories. Mostly just mentioned in passing.

I fear few would like the typical diet of most of my characters. Stew is mentioned once, but I don't imagine it was anything to write home about. And some of the stuff eaten is kid of---yuck. I did have a feast once, but I don't think I mentioned much more than the wine, and that only cause it was the Characters first taste of it.

Pretty much, if its not suitable to be carried 400 miles, and eaten maybe days later, its not what they are eating. I cant even recall mentioning a treat in the story. I'll have to fix that, and put something in. No lembas bread here.

Oh...thinking on it, I did mention fish with lemon grass once

 

[Finchbearer]

I am partial to a bit of food porn, and yes I do include food in my stories. Some of it is actually fantasy food, so I have fairies who are known for their exquisite confectionery in one of my gaslamp stories who make marchpanes in the shapes of Otherworldy fruit for example, and then I also have food that is real world relative appearing in my other stories. Lots of foraging, ‘fat pies’, peas pudding (if you know you know) and plenty of other old timey good stuff.

 

[Finchbearer]

Not much mention of actual food in my stories. Mostly just mentioned in passing.

I fear few would like the typical diet of most of my characters. Stew is mentioned once, but I don't imagine it was anything to write home about. And some of the stuff eaten is kid of---yuck. I did have a feast once, but I don't think I mentioned much more than the wine, and that only cause it was the Characters first taste of it.

Pretty much, if its not suitable to be carried 400 miles, and eaten maybe days later, its not what they are eating. I cant even recall mentioning a treat in the story. I'll have to fix that, and put something in. No lembas bread here.

Oh...thinking on it, I did mention fish with lemon grass once

Mmmmmm….stew.

Lembas bread. Funny how some ancient grains middle class uptight flavourless Elvish bread that was probably bought at ye olde whole foods could be such a plot hinge.

 

[pmmg]

Heh...well, lembas bread did come out in LOTR, but in my D&D days, some DM's would use it there too. The idea being, it kept for a long time, and only a little was like having a full meal (almost magical). It made the elves a little more special.

But...in my story, nothing like it has appeared.

I think the typical diet of one of my characters is fish, dried meat, dried bread, maybe some dried veggies, and anything they can forage or hunt. I've never mentioned a cow, but goats, fish, chickens, rabbits are probably common. And stuff that would grow in colder climes.

I did give away the Dungeons and Dragons cookbook one Christmas. It was a hit

https://www.amazon.com/Heroes-Feast-Official-Dungeons-Cookbook/dp/1984858904

 

[Mad Swede]

Yes, I do mention food (and drink) quite a lot in my stories. Yes, some of it is food and wine porn. But there is a reason for it, and that reason isn't about tempting the readers.

I think I've written something similar before, but what characters eat and drink says a lot about them and quite a lot more about the setting. It can even be used to drive the plot. A few examples.

What happens if a character hasn't eaten properly for some days? Does it have an impact on their ability to do their job or carry out their tasks? How about their health, or their ability to think a problem through? Does their hunger motivate them to do things or accept offers they might not otherwise have accepted and if so how do they feel about things later?

If wine exists in your setting, where does it come from and how does it get to where your characters are now? Is it expensive? Do people smuggle fine wines to avoid taxes or excise duty and if so does this lead to corruption? What happens if our heroes come across a large scale smuggling operation?

The crops growing in the fields, the fruit on the trees, the fish in the waters and the animals grazing. What do these say about the climate, the weather and the season? What happens to these if there is a battle?

On the subject of battles, where and how do armies get their food? What do they eat? It used to be said of military food that the worse it was the nastier the troops were because they were in such a bad mood.

If your characters are in hiding, or trying to stay out of sight on some journey, what do they eat? How do they stay warm if they can't heat food? If they need to cook something warm and nourishing in a hurry, what do they make?

If some character makes enough money to eat well, do they have a good enough palate to tell if what they're eating really is good or recognise if they're being conned? Or do they get ripped off by some unscrupulous chef? What does this say about the character concerned - are they genuinely wanting to enjoy the food or are they just showing off?

Seducing someone with food and drink is a bit of a cliche. But how do they seduce someone? Do they use the usual methods, that is cook something light yet technically dazzling before the act? Or do they cook a simple yet wonderful breakfast the morning after?

And the questions go on. The details matter. As a writer I feel you can have so much fun and add so much to the atmosphere of the story just by thinking the details through.

 

[Jackarandajam]

Not much mention of actual food in my stories. Mostly just mentioned in passing.

I fear few would like the typical diet of most of my characters. Stew is mentioned once, but I don't imagine it was anything to write home about. And some of the stuff eaten is kid of---yuck. I did have a feast once, but I don't think I mentioned much more than the wine, and that only cause it was the Characters first taste of it.

Pretty much, if its not suitable to be carried 400 miles, and eaten maybe days later, its not what they are eating. I cant even recall mentioning a treat in the story. I'll have to fix that, and put something in. No lembas bread here.

Oh...thinking on it, I did mention fish with lemon grass once

Ironically, probably the most I talk about food in any of my work is in a space fantasy, where convicts are sent onto an inhospitable planet and have to survive on tiny dried lizards and a sort of black algae they scrape off rocks. As a foodie I feel that I should really do better elsewhere.

 

[Finchbearer]

I know ban to be a food writing enthusiast…

 

[Dankolisic]

I just realized that in real life I'm a foodie, but my writing is completely devoid of FEASTS. I don't really mention much food at all, and when I do it's just in passing.

What are your favorite fantasy book foods, and/or what are some delicious foods you've written into your stories?

I've always found my mouth watering reading descriptions of the simple, hearty tavern meals; chunky stews and tall pints of foaming ale, flatbread and sausages for the road, berries and cream, hand-pressed apple cider in the autumn...

Honeycomb liquor, mapuhel stew, smoked hoof, stewed eagle eggs with honey, fried wingfish with beet salad, salted mapuhel cheese with black bread and of course the number one elite dish in Frostland is minced horn marrow from a ridgegoat with blue wine.

 

[Orc Knight]

Oh, so much. Brian Jacques always seemed to have some of the grandest feasts in his books and I always remember those.

As for my own? Though my current work has plenty. Given it mostly set in the tropics, there's all sorts of curries, heavily spiced meats and sweet fruits, rice, a blood wine (which really is mostly wine with fresh blood), Grilled fishes, sea food feasts and other sorts of meals and snacks.

 

[Not_Alice]

I've had some fun in my YA series with the MC slowly figuring out how this whole adulting stuff, including food shopping and cooking, works. I had her finding and trying recipes, showing up two hours late because she didn't realize in time that some doughs need to rise, scratching soot from the bottom of a pot she left unattended... Also, that rather fateful night when after a weekend of forgetting to eat and living mainly off coffee, she ended up a semi-conscious mess with a giant headache, and nearly got everybody killed because she couldn't remember the simplest of spells...

 

[Finchbearer]

I think the typical diet of one of my characters is fish, dried meat, dried bread, maybe some dried veggies, and anything they can forage or hunt. I've never mentioned a cow, but goats, fish, chickens, rabbits are probably common. And stuff that would grow in colder climes.

This makes me sad. Something like pemmican could be eaten in a colder climate, especially if it is much like the North America. It’s basically real life lembas bread, but better.

 

[Jackarandajam]

This makes me sad. Something like pemmican could be eaten in a colder climate, especially if it is much like the North America. It’s basically real life lembas bread, but better.

Meat Lembas for the win.

 

[pmmg]

I was going to say....What's that? but looking it up, I had heard of that.

And I think I saw it made/eaten on one of those Alaskan reality shows. I am not saying they don't have it, only that, little attention has been given to what they actually eat. But, I have not mentioned cows, moose, elk or bison in the story. Elk and Moose would probably be wandering around in their clime.

I have never tried Pemmican though.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

Early on, I mentioned food to point out the bland and then the harsh reality of a subsistence diet, although spelt bread is awesome... the best IMO. Then, the characters hit other cultures and start experiencing grander forms of dining. Finding more spices and variety in southern climates.

 

[Prince of Spires]

I think food is an easy worldbuilding shortcut that can help make the place feel more real to your reader.

Something as simple as your character walking into a tavern on p1. Your reader will get a very different impression of your world if the character gets served elk sausage and rye stew or if he gets cinamon and date chicken pie with a side-serving of couscous. It doesn't have to be food porn, but it helps set the scene. Wine will make a reader think of warmer climates, while ale is more middle european and mead is more northern. Exotic fruits can make a place feel tropical, and a guy selling mussles and clams by the side of the road will make a place coastal.

You don't have to do this at all of course. And if you're writing urban fantasy, then it's a lot less useful, since I can find food from all over the world here where I live. Or perhaps, it has a different effect.

But in pre-modern fantasy, it's a great way to set the mood of a place, without the reader even noticing. The tavern example I mentioned above is obvious perhaps. But if a character gets of a ship and is greeted by certain smells or walks past a street vendor then it's a lot more subtle.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

It's the Books of Binding. Not sure what you guys were expecting.

 

[Gurkhal]

I had a good laugh from the post above. Thanks!

 

[Jackarandajam]

It's the Books of Binding. Not sure what you guys were expecting.

View attachment 3725

Puddleglum knew this place was a bad idea.

 

[Miles Lacey]

It's the Books of Binding. Not sure what you guys were expecting.

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My ancestors would dig a hole, put heated rocks inside, wrap up a person in leaves and season with puha and other herbs, then add some kumara and other vegetables. The hole would be filled in. Several hours later the meat was cooked and it was melt in the mouth goodness. And they would also gain the mana of the person who was eaten.

It was called a hangi. We still have them but it's pork, lamb and beef that gets cooked this way now. That's probably just as well. The Pacific region has an obesity epidemic that would put the Americans to shame. There's too much fat on people these days. It spoils the flavour and makes it very unhealthy.