Literary Feasts: Recipes Inspired by Famous Novels That You Can Recreate At Home

PUBLISHED May 19th, 2021 05:00 am | UPDATED May 28th, 2021 11:21 am

A well-written book has the ability to appeal to all of our senses, and that includes our sense of taste. Romanticising food through words is not easy but when done well, merely reading a description of the meal that the characters are having, can make us hungry. Why not turn your fictional culinary fantasies into reality? We have collated the recipes for a few of the most memorable and iconic food and drinks in popular literary works that you can make at home and enjoy as you read for a truly immersive experience like no other.

The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe: Turkish Delight

If Edmund Pevensie was willing to betray his family for these intoxicating treats that were “sweet and light to the very center”, you best believe they are good. In the book, The White Witch conjures up Turkish Delights to lure poor lil’ Edmund into revealing his family’s whereabouts by letting a drop of magical liquid fall on to the snow. While recreating the fragrant cubes of jelly – flavoured with rosewater and heavily dusted with icing sugar – is definitely going to take a whole lot more effort, we can assure you that it’s worth it.

View recipe here.

Moby-Dick: Clam Chowder

Herman Melville’s timeless classic, Moby-Dick, dedicates an entire chapter to the piping hot clam chowder that sailors Ishmael and Queequeg devour at an inn called Try Pots after a frosty voyage across the sea. And it’s hard not to want to tuck into a bowl after reading Melville’s elaborate description. Brimming with “small juicy clams, scarcely bigger than hazel nuts” salted pork flakes, ship biscuit crumbs and plenty of butter, it is something we can definitely see ourselves chowing down on a cool, rainy day – or any day, as a matter of fact.

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Jane Eyre: Seed Cake

Jane Eyre, being one of the most loved English Classics needs no introduction. In one of the rare bright spots in the novel, Miss Temple, the superintendent of Jane’s school, invites her and her friend Helen for tea and in a true act of kindness offers them a slice of seed cake. Seed cakes were a common dessert in 19th century Britain and were traditionally served during the harvest time. Seed cakes are also a nod to the sociopolitical issues explored in the story. Studded with tangy candied citrus, the baked delight goes deliciously with a cup of tea, and best when shared with your loved ones – just like how Miss Temple did.

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Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban :Butterbeer

We muggles might not be able to visit Hogsmeade for a chill bottle of Butterbeer in the Three broomsticks, but that doesn’t mean we can’t whip up our own glass of this frothy beverage. This popular drink of the wizards is described in the book as tasting “a little bit like less sickly butterscotch“. Think cream soda meets butterscotch flavour with a dollop of cream. Amp it up with a splash of vanilla vodka for an adult’s version of Potter’s favourite beverage. Cheers!

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Little Women: Pickled Limes

A semi-autobiographical novel written by Louisa May Alcott in 1868, Little Women follows the lives of the March sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy – and their passage from childhood to womanhood. In the novel, limes were the Nintendo switches of our time – a schoolyard status symbol and a social metaphor for status and acceptance: “Why, you see, the girls are always buying them, and unless you want to be thought mean, you must do it, too.”. If you want to know what the fuss was all about, try it for yourself with the recipe below. All you need are limes and salt.

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Matilda: Chocolate Cake

If you’ve read the children’s classic by Roald Dahl, you’ve probably swooned over the behemoth chocolate cake enveloped in a luscious dark chocolate frosting that Bruce Bogtrotter had to eat as a punishment for stealing a slice of Miss Trunchbull’s cake. The chocolate cake, however, is not just an ode to gluttony but also a symbol of Miss Trunchbull’s demented torture tactics. Thankfully, you don’t have to go around stealing cakes like Bruce did, as you can easily bake this scrumptious confection in your very own kitchen.

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To The Lighthouse: Boeuf en Daube

Food is more than an epicurean pleasure in Virgina Woolf’s novels. They often symbolise and highlight the scene’s underlying emotions through detailed descriptions that her contemporaries may restrain from. In To the Lighthouse, William Bankes is seduced by Mildred the cook’s, boeuf en daube: “It was rich; it was tender. It was perfectly cooked.”. This mouth-watering Provencal stew also plays a pivotal role in forging connections among the Ramsey family and their guests. If you happen to have an extra helping of meat, this French stew recipe inspired by Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse is right up your alley.

View recipe here.

Top Image: Photo by Brenda Godinez on Unsplash