6 Best Cookbooks with Literature Inspired Recipes

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cooking with literary-inspired recipes

Cookbooks! There are so many of them, they are so beautifully designed, and the pictures with the final version of the recipe are so mouth-watering! Now imagine if a cookbook contains the recipes inspired by the food served in Harry Porter’s Hogwarts halls or in the aristocratic dining room of Jane Austen’s house in Bath, England? Preparing this kind of literature inspired food will let you understand the culture and the times described in the book even better! Moreover, you will impress all your friends by serving dishes mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays, for example! Check below our collection of famous cookbooks with recipes inspired by different novels, poems and plays.


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General Literary-Themed Cookbooks

If you are thinking of inviting your friends for a literary feast at home, but you have no particular book preference, then you should heat up your oven and take out the following cookbooks which are ideal for every literature-lover.

Literary Feasts: Inspired Eating from Classic Fiction

(by Sean Brand)

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This is the best cookbook if you like indulging in the pleasures of a good meal. It is a collection novels-inspired recipes including hearty breakfasts of Leopold Bloom in James Joyce’s Ulysses, James Bond’s early morning coffee breaks, grand dinner parties at Jay Gatsby’s mansion. Many other eating scenes are presented in this book: including Bertie Wooster’s lunches from Wodehouse’s comic Jeeves stories, as well as recipes from the works of such great writers as Dickens, Mark Twain, Chekhov, Shakespeare. It is a perfect book for literature lovers who enjoy good food!

A Literary Feast: Recipes Inspired By Novels, Poems And Plays

(by Jennifer Barclay)

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Prepare yourself for delicious food scenes: a selection of inspiring literature works accompanied by recipes so that you could bring them to life in your own home kitchen! The recipes include Turkish delight that even Edmund Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia would not be able to resist, classic roast goose recipe prepared by Bob Cratchit from “A Christmas carol” by Dickens as well as cucumber sandwiches from Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest”.

Eat This Poem: A Literary Feast Of Recipes Inspired By Poetry

(by Nicole Gulotta)

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This cookbook is a true celebration of food and poetry. Poems bring out the flavours of our lives making our everyday moments more meaningful. It is like the salt that makes the meals richer and tastier. In this book, you will find 25 inspiring cookbook poems from different poets including Marge Piercy, Mark Strand and Billy Collins that are accompanied by 75 recipes that bring the richness of words on our plate through the richness of taste. It is a completely new way you can understand poetry!

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Jane Austen – Themed Cookbooks

If you want to organise a gastronomic feast in the style of 18th century England which Mr Darcy regularly attended in Jane Austen’s novels, then you will definitely become a fan of these literary cookbooks:

The Jane Austen Cookbook

(by Nicole Gulotta)

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Jane Austen had a large family that enjoyed organising dinners for their friends. Numerous brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, acquaintances were always coming to indulge in good food and share interesting conversations. Therefore it is no surprise, that there are many detailed descriptions of served food in Jane Austen’s novels. Moreover, one of Jane’s best friends was Martha Lloyd who lived with the family for quite a long time and wrote a book called “Household Book” where she included over 100 recipes enjoyed by the Austens.

Dinner with Mr. Darcy: Recipes Inspired by the Novels of Jane Austen

(by Pen Vogler )

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Sitting down as a family to eat together is a recurring theme in the literary works of Jane Austen. It was a way for the family to show off in front of their acquaintances and kindly welcome their dearest friends. It was an essential part of family life dynamics as well as a source of entertainment. In this book, you will find about what food and drinks were served at Jane Austen’s times, including details about table arrangements, full course dinner descriptions, how the kitchen and the local garden were designed, mealtimes etc. The text is full of quotes from the novels which makes it even easier to feel the spirit of that time.

Tea with Jane Austen: Recipes Inspired by Her Novels and Letters

(by Pen Vogler)

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This book is a collection of authentic recipes of pastries, bakes and cakes inspired by the novels and letters of Jane Austen. During the Regency Era, tea and cakes were served after dinner for evening guests, but the rolls, tarts and biscuits described in this book can be equally enjoyable at breakfast with coffee or for an English afternoon tea. Enjoy a cup of tea and an English muffin as they were served for the characters of “Pride and Prejudice” or taste Jumble cookies appreciated by Fanny in “Mansfield Park”!

Iliana K