Real Meals From Cooked Up Tables

Not being particularly food focussed myself, I’ve rarely considered the culinary habits of literary figures. Thank god not everyone is as disinterested in food as me though, or we’d never have known the delights within the pages of Dinah Fried’s (and yeah, I did think Dinah as in ‘diner’ and Fried as in ‘fried food’ – couldn’t help it) new book Fictitious Dishes.

An enchanting publication even for me, it is full of beautifully recreated meals from fiction, combined with the text in which they first appeared and information on the books and their authors.

It is a lovely tribute to the role food has played in the telling of stories. Would we remember Alice In Wonderland quite so vividly without the fantastical mad tea party? Would Oliver Twist have been so touching without his desperate plea for “more”?

For these images and more, check out the fabulous site Brain Pickings – http://www.brainpickings.org