For those that love words and those that love food, the combination is heaven. I first learned how literary food could make my mouth water and tongue slurp like Wile E. Coyote through Dr. Seuss. Green Eggs and Ham, man. Then, I remember reading how Edmund couldn’t resist Turkish Delights and loved how an author could make a sugary treat sound so tempting. I don’t need that much convincing, but it’s always pleasant to experience lovely language mixed with food. Preview: Dainty slapjacks garnished with honey and puddings made of delightful creaminess.
In short I became very ravenous, especially for pudding, figuring out which literary recipes to present. You might too.
1. Turkish Delight (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe): In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Edmund inhaled the Snow Queen’s Turkish Delight (pictured above!) and betrayed his siblings! Then, he had the gall to ask for more. Sheesh.
Turkish Delight is comprised of sugar, gelatin, water, and cornstarch, and it is commonly flavored with rosewater, lemon or mint. History says a Turkish man named Bekir Effendi, who opened up a confectionary shop in Istanbul in 1776, unveiled the delicacy in his sweet boutique. Legend has it that an Englishman stumbled upon the treat and began shipping cases back to Britain calling it “Turkish Delight.”
Soon, it became a ritual among socialites to exchange Turkish Delights wrapped in silk handkerchiefs as gifts. [
Recipe]
2. Pickled Limes (Little Women): The youngest sister, Amy, in Louis May Alcott’s Little Women was crazy for pickled limes. Pickles limes were the iPhones of today, the Tamagotchis and Pogs of the nineties.
"Why, you see, the girls are always buying them, and unless you want to be thought mean, you must do it too. It's nothing but limes now, for everyone is sucking them in their desks in schooltime, and trading them off for pencils, bead rings, paper dolls, or something else, at recess. If one girl likes another, she gives her a lime. If she's mad with her, she eats one before her face, and doesn't offer even a suck."
So, you see, anyone who is anyone eats pickled limes. [
Recipe]
