A Gothic Cookbook
Hauntingly Delicious Recipes Inspired by 13 Classic Tales
Ella Buchan and Alessandra Pino’s A Gothic Cookbook combines recipes with food-based literary critiques of the Gothic stories that inspired them.
These meals, snacks, and beverages are either direct recreations from the source texts, like “Mina’s paprika hendl” from Dracula, or interpretations of what the characters might have consumed based on historical context, as with a take on Rebecca‘s “sandwiches of an unknown nature.” Each chapter contains an overview of its classic’s culinary themes plus recipes accompanied by hand-drawn illustrations of steps from the dish’s preparation and write-ups of their roles in the stories. While creative recipes like Frankenstein‘s “galvanised vermicelli” abound, even familiar meals like salads are made novel via charming, precise names and immersive insights on their backgrounds, as when the brightness of the “jade-green piles of vegetables” from The Picture of Dorian Gray is highlighted to contrast the protagonist’s dark mood. The instructions are clear, detailed, and peppered with cozy verbiage, and substitutions are provided for flexibility.
Thoughtful and unique recipe selections, keen literary analyses, and striking visuals in a macabre black-and-red color palette make A Gothic Cookbook a perfect fit for any kitchen, library, or spooky mansion.
Reviewed by
Jenna Lefkowitz
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
