As any Harry Potter fan knows, this week marks the opening of the sixth Harry Potter film. And in honor of that estimable event, my post today includes a recipe for food mentioned in the book.
Now, J. K. Rowling is a master at incorporating enticing food into her storyline. Most of the books make me want to down handfuls of gooey chocolate candies and eat anything remotely pumpkin-flavored. And Rowling really should be celebrated for redeeming the notoriously bad reputation of British food, because all the dishes served in the Great Hall sound delicious.
Despite all this, the Half-Blood Prince doesn’t have a lot of tasty food. Perhaps it’s a result of the darker nature of the final books. I reread HP6 this week in anticipation of the movie and kept a special look out for favorable foods. While there was a possible onion soup early on and quite a few intriguing potions (if only we could have a recipe for Felix Felicis!), I had to settle on a food that is rather modest.
This week’s selection comes to us courtesy of Professor Slughorn, who, in all his finery and excess, never fails to have a handful of candied pineapple somewhere nearby. While Slughorn himself is not necessarily an inspiring character (note the carefully chosen name and all its connotations), whenever I read these scenes, I desperately want candied pineapple. Now, I have never made candied pineapple, so I have no tried-and-true formula to offer you. But I have found two easy, straightforward recipes for all you other pineapple-lovers who would like to try this at home:
Alternatively, you could cozy up to some young wizards-with-potential with the hope that they will keep you well supplied. Either way, share some with me! I need a stash to smuggle in to the movie tomorrow night.
4 Comments
July 14, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Rowling has nothing on Brian Jacques in this department!
July 14, 2009 at 6:23 pm
You know, I do just need to read one of his. I loved Watership Down, Tailchaser’s Song & The Rats of Nimh when I was younger. Animals+weaponry (usually)=great fun. And good food? It’s time.
July 14, 2009 at 6:44 pm
The first six or seven wee really good, but then started fizzling out. Or maybe I just outgrew them. Mattimeo and Salamandastron were my favorites, but one must of course start with Redwall.
July 21, 2009 at 9:16 pm
I agree with Mark that Jacques makes a reader quite hungry. He has such skill, he made me want to eat dandelions. Mattimeo is my favorite, too.