A Feast of Thrones

Who doesn’t love to eat?  Nothing gets the appetite going like a five page description of a feast in almost annoyingly exact detail.  And the undisputed modern master of food-porn is none other than George R.R. Martin, author of A Song of Fire and Ice, the basis for the Game of Thrones television series.  Anyone who’s read the books will tell you that they are brimming with descriptions of succulent and exotic dishes such as fruit tarts, beef and bacon pie, and bowls of brown.  Well recently fans have decided to make an unofficial cookbook based on the various dishes described in the series.  This article is not about that book.  Instead I will be reviewing the official Game of Thrones cookbook, A Feast of Fire and Ice.

A Feast of Fire and Ice is written by Chelsea Monroe and Sariann Lehrer who co-run Inn at the Crossroads, a blog dedicated to the food in A Song of Fire and Ice.  It’s officially endorsed by George R.R. Martin, and lovingly introduced by him.  It divides its sections based on the various parts of the Seven Kingdoms, starting at the Wall and moving south to Dorne and eventually across the Narrow Sea.  If you understood any of that, then this book is for you.  The recipes are from all five current novels.

This is a very good cookbook.  The recipes and instructions are simple enough that even a new cook, like yours truly, can create something delicious from its pages.  The recipes are well varied from soups to pie, with plenty of desserts, appetizers, and entrees.  Also bread, lots of bread recipes.  The ingredients are fairly common place and shouldn’t require much searching.  Except for the spices.  And rattlesnake meat.  Okay, most of the ingredients are common place.  Something I need to point out it that most of the recipes in the book tend to be pretty hearty, so they might be more suited as Winter fare.  And we all know that Winter is Coming.

One of the most appealing aspects of the book is that it contains actual medieval recipes for some of the dishes like Beef and Bacon Pie, Leek Soup, and Poached Pears.  The only issue is that these recipes call for you to make specific medieval ingredients such as pastry dough, spice mixtures, or sauces.  Don’t worry, the book tells you how to make these and they’re not all that difficult.  If medieval cooking isn’t your thing, it also offers modern equivalents which tend to be a bit easier.

As far as cookbooks go, this is a great one.  It’s excellent for both new and experienced cooks and has some delicious recipes.  The only gripe I have is that even though it’s the official cookbook, it’s not really Game of Thrones-y.  For example, the Roast Aurochs with Leeks is basically a beef or bison roast.  Granted Aurochs have been extinct for centuries, but it’s basically a roast.  I was expecting things like eel pies and other exotic fares.  But that’s being pretty nickpicky, so I’ll cut it out.  It actually works very well as a general cookbook.  It has a variety of dishes for the whole year and can be used to feast in style with your friends and family.  Just try not to kill each other until after the meal.  At least then you’ll be classier than a few people in the books.

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