Tom Grimm - The Unofficial Lord of the Rings Cookbook: From Hobbiton to Mordor, Over 60 Recipes from the World of Middle-Earth

The Unofficial Lord of the Rings Cookbook

Logo: For All Fans of The Lord of the Rings!

From Hobbiton to Mordor, Over 60 Recipes from the World of Middle Earth

Tom Grimm

For Ulrich Uli Peste, who is Sam to my Frodo

Stephen King, one of the most successful writers of all time, once said that writers are born to be writersthat an authors skills and trades can be learned up to a certain degree, but only born writers would sit at their typewriters even if writing was forbidden under penalty of death, just because they feel the urge to put down on paper all those stories that swirl around in their heads.

According to that definition, J. R. R. Tolkien was not a real writer, since even at the peak of his success, he still considered writing drudgery and pursued it more as a hobby alongside his faculty work. So there was an obvious reason why it took him a full fifteen years to finish his magnum opus, The Lord of the Rings.

Tolkiens life was determined by his passion for language, not just in his career as a professor of Anglo-Saxon but also with regard to his creative work. Early on in his youth, Tolkien began to develop languages of his own, which later on became the bedrock of his entire artistry. His complete mythology actually arose from nothing but his intention to come up with a real background for his fictitious languages.

Tolkiens mythology first took shape in early 1917, when he came down with trench fever as a soldier in World War I and returned from the front lines in France back home to England. At that time, he started work on his book of lost tales, an anthology of stories that would, many years later, become The Silmarillion, unfinished in his lifetime but later edited by his son Christopher Tolkien. In it, Tolkien put down the first roots of a new and unique world that he called, referring to Midgard from Norse mythology, Middle-earth.

In 1937, Tolkien presented Middle-earth for the first time to the public in The Hobbit, a book he originally wrote as a bedtime story for his children. The novel turned into a considerable best seller, so publisher Stanley Unwin asked Tolkien to come up with a sequel as soon as possible. Although Tolkien agreed, despite his dislike of the actual writing process, he had a much more mature book in mind from the very beginningone that was supposed to appeal to grown-up readers as well. The title of this new Hobbit novel was The Lord of the Rings.

The rest is, as they say, history.

Tolkien considered his literary work primarily as an opportunity to research foreign peoples and cultures. It comes as no surprise that, despite all the fantastical aspects of his tales, the lives of Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves, and Men take center stage. Tolkien especially cared about the creature comforts of his heroes. His books are full of fond hints at food and drink, showing the authors enthusiasm for sumptuous feasts. After all, there is a good reason that both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings begin with elaborate banquets before the actual adventure starts. In Tolkiens eyes, food and drink stood for friendship, love, hope, and home.

This book offers an exceptional collection of a wide variety of foods and drinks derived from or inspired by Tolkiens works. So, if you were always dying to taste Bilbos famous seed cakes, Sams coney stew, the Prancing Ponys potato soup, or Trin Turambars tarragon chicken, heres your chance. Following the trails of Frodo, Aragorn, Gimli, Galadriel, Gollum, and all the other unforgettable characters from Tolkiens books, youll be going on a culinary excursion through all of Middle-earth, from the peaceful Shire to the vast Elven forests and the caves of Mirkwood, all the way into the foothills of Mount Doom in the land of Mordor, where the shadows lie.

On that note, safe travels!

Tom Grimm

Level

Easy

Prep Time

2 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Serves 2

• 1 cup millet
• 1 cups water
• 1 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon cane sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• Fresh raspberries, for garnish

I. In a pot, bring the millet, water, and milk to a light boil, stirring constantly.

II. Add the cane sugar, honey, sea salt, and half of the ground cinnamon, mix well, and let simmer while stirring until the mixture takes on a nice mushy consistency, about 10 to 12 minutes.

III. Remove from heat and season to taste.

IV. Fill 2 breakfast bowls, top off with the remaining ground cinnamon, garnish with a couple of fresh raspberries, and serve.

Level

Easy

Prep Time

15 minutes

Bake Time

2025 minutes

Makes about 9

• 1 stick butter, softened, plus extra for greasing baking dish
• 1 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• cup blossom honey, plus extra for garnish
• 2 eggs
• 1 pinch salt
• cup milk

Also needed:

• Silicon honeycomb pull-apart cake mold or 9-cup nonstick muffin baking pan

I. Preheat oven to 325. Grease baking dish with butter.

II. In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking powder.

III. In a mixing bowl, beat the softened butter with a hand mixer, and slowly drizzle in the honey. Add the eggs to the butter mixture one by one and incorporate thoroughly. Add the flour-baking powder mixture, salt, and milk and mix until batter is nice and smooth.

IV. Pour the batter into the prepared dish, smooth it, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cakes cool in baking dish for a few minutes, then loosen them carefully from the mold and remove them.

V. Drizzle the cakes with honey before serving.

Tip

A wide variety of silicon honeycomb pull-apart cake molds can be found on the internet.

Level

Medium

Prep Time

20 minutes, plus 70 minutes for rising

Bake Time

2025 minutes

Makes 1 loaf

• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water