Novel Food #26: the finale

Welcome to the roundup of the 26th edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I created in 2007 and that I continue to host with great pleasure, as it brings together two of my passions: literature and food. Novel Food is about literary works (prose or poetry) that inspire the preparation of dishes.

Like all its predecessors, the current edition includes some lovely posts, each describing a literary work that the blogger read and the dish that the reading inspired. Please, follow me on a short literary/culinary tour. For each contribution, I will offer a small bite to whet your appetite for more: follow the link to read the details of the special connection between written word and food that each participant has created.

Ruhama of rumahama read The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh
which inspired her to bake some Lavash

"There's a lot of talk in the library world about multicultural books written by multicultural authors, and the book I have for you this time... takes place in Persia and is written by an Asian-American female. Essentially a retelling of A Thousand and One Nights, this story features Shahrzad as our heroine, who is determined to rid the land of the evil caliph (who murders his wives, though no one knows why), thus she agrees to become his wife. Her caveat is that he can't kill her until she's done telling her story, which she manages to drag out night after night."

Deb of Kahakai Kitchen was inspired by North of Here by Laurel Saville
to prepare Blackberry Chia Seed Jam

"Set in the woods of the Adirondack Mountains, 'a dangerous back-to-nature cult'... I think it would be more accurately tagged as literary fiction/drama, but that did not stop my enjoyment of this beautifully written novel, even if it wasn't packed with the thrills I thought it was going to bring... if you like a smart and compelling story with well-drawn characters, this is an excellent one."

soup with surprise (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Simona of briciole was inspired by Still Writing by Dani Shapiro
to cook arganak: Armenian chicken soup with meatballs

"In a conversational tone that makes the reader feel s/he is having a pleasant conversation with a friend, Shapiro talks about her parents, early life, writing career and writing practice and encourages writers to be writers. A number of experiences Shapiro has had are similar to mine and that certainly made the book reach closer to my heart."

a simple, flavorful side dish (placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Simona of briciole also read The Unprejudiced Palate: Classic Thoughts on Food and the Good Life by Angelo Pellegrini and was inspired to prepare broccoli al Parmigiano-Reggiano

Pellegrini's perspective on food "is profoundly influenced by his Italian heritage and his upbringing as the son of recent immigrants to the US... I thoroughly enjoyed the book: the language, the tone, the stories. Pellegrini's measured attitude makes the reading always interesting—even when I may not agree with him. I know that in part that was due to my comparing my experience with his: I am also Italian and an immigrant—though I moved to the US for different reasons and as an adult."

My special "thank you!" goes to the event's participants: I hope you had as much fun as I always do when I host this event. You will find a link to this roundup and to those of all the earlier editions on this page.

And if you are looking for additional reading suggestions, head over to the Cook the Books website, where we just started the April-May edition for which we are reading Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good by Kathleen Flinn.

Comments

[Frank]

A lovely collection of recipes. I especially like the broccoli—Is there anything that doesn't take better gratinéed with Parmesan cheese? ;-)

[Simona Carini]

Nothing that I can think of, Frank. Parmigiano may be the one food I'd save if the world were to end tomorrow. I can't imagine not having it handy ;)

[Deb in Hawaii]

Thanks for--hosting Simona. I do hope there are more Novel Foods to come, we just need to help get the word out there more so more people join in. ;-)

[Simona Carini]

Thank you so much, Deb. It is true that I am reading a book that would be perfect for it... :)