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books2023-04-03 12:23 am
ysabetwordsmith) wrote in books2023-04-03 12:23 am
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Review: The Elven Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by the Elves of Tolkien
The Elven Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by the Elves of Tolkien (Literary Cookbooks) – January 10, 2023
by Robert Tuesley Anderson
This is a very pretty book, amply illustrated with literary art and food photographs. The sections are Introduction, Breakfast Dishes, Light Meals, Main Dishes, Feasting and Sharing, Desserts and Sweet Things, Drinks, and Index. The Introduction discusses the elves of Tolkien, with a very useful genealogy chart of their many subdivisions. The Index helpfully includes both dishes by name and ingredients with their featured dishes underneath.
Much attention is paid to extrapolating what sorts of things the elves would eat. The logic is pretty sound. The problem is that the recipes themselves are mostly very modern-American with a few ethnic inclusions and don't always come off as rustic as intended, especially in terms of using refined ingredients like white sugar. If you like that sort of thing, it's fine. But I have seen much more plausible extrapolations of Tolkienesque cuisine elsewhere, including online recipes constructed and shared by random fans. I'll give credit for also making liberal use of honey and maple syrup, though.
So while I enjoyed reading the cookbook -- its header paragraphs are really fun -- I didn't bookmark a large number of recipes. Some of the ones I did mark were because I liked part but not all of it, or intended to fiddle with the suggested instructions. A few promising examples include Woodhall Apple Cake, Edhellond Almond Butter (with maple syrup!), and Melian's Plum-Topped Cheesecake. The Dorthonian Heather Honey Sponge is, of all things, a modern version of a Pictish recipe, filched by and handed down through Celtic channels; pretty much anything heather-based tends to be. Notably the Cordial of Imladris is a fully functional all-purpose herbal fixit. You can see that sweets fared better on average.
If you want a fun fannish read and you love Tolkien's elves, this a great choice. If you don't mind the preponderance of modern-style cooking, it's a promising cookbook. But if you want something with recipes that are not only well extrapolated but also constructed with a good eye for historic and fantasy cuisine, you can find better. (For my highwater mark of fantasy cooking, see the magnificent and delicious Elder Scrolls cookbook.) I'm not sorry I bought this book, and won't toss it out, but next gift-giving occasion I will probably go back and look at the other Tolkien cookbooks I spotted before picking this one.
by Robert Tuesley Anderson
This is a very pretty book, amply illustrated with literary art and food photographs. The sections are Introduction, Breakfast Dishes, Light Meals, Main Dishes, Feasting and Sharing, Desserts and Sweet Things, Drinks, and Index. The Introduction discusses the elves of Tolkien, with a very useful genealogy chart of their many subdivisions. The Index helpfully includes both dishes by name and ingredients with their featured dishes underneath.
Much attention is paid to extrapolating what sorts of things the elves would eat. The logic is pretty sound. The problem is that the recipes themselves are mostly very modern-American with a few ethnic inclusions and don't always come off as rustic as intended, especially in terms of using refined ingredients like white sugar. If you like that sort of thing, it's fine. But I have seen much more plausible extrapolations of Tolkienesque cuisine elsewhere, including online recipes constructed and shared by random fans. I'll give credit for also making liberal use of honey and maple syrup, though.
So while I enjoyed reading the cookbook -- its header paragraphs are really fun -- I didn't bookmark a large number of recipes. Some of the ones I did mark were because I liked part but not all of it, or intended to fiddle with the suggested instructions. A few promising examples include Woodhall Apple Cake, Edhellond Almond Butter (with maple syrup!), and Melian's Plum-Topped Cheesecake. The Dorthonian Heather Honey Sponge is, of all things, a modern version of a Pictish recipe, filched by and handed down through Celtic channels; pretty much anything heather-based tends to be. Notably the Cordial of Imladris is a fully functional all-purpose herbal fixit. You can see that sweets fared better on average.
If you want a fun fannish read and you love Tolkien's elves, this a great choice. If you don't mind the preponderance of modern-style cooking, it's a promising cookbook. But if you want something with recipes that are not only well extrapolated but also constructed with a good eye for historic and fantasy cuisine, you can find better. (For my highwater mark of fantasy cooking, see the magnificent and delicious Elder Scrolls cookbook.) I'm not sorry I bought this book, and won't toss it out, but next gift-giving occasion I will probably go back and look at the other Tolkien cookbooks I spotted before picking this one.