# Food suggestions for a LOTR ROTK party **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 15, 2004, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295 "2004-07-15T18:13:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/1 "2004-07-15T18:13:16Z")
Hi all! I’m having a theme party, and I"m looking for food suggestions. In the past I had a smashing success with a “My Big Fat Greek Dinner Party”, where we served all Greek dishes, watch the movie, then drew a name so someone got to bring the movie home. It was great. Well, my friends want to have a ROTK party, and I"m stumped for food ideas. I mean, when they actually ate (I’m thinking of the books now), it seemed to be either a general “feast” or some elven breadstuffs- no specific foods. Ale, of course, because Hobbits love ale so, but what else? Ideas? Thoughts? Foods from New Zealand, perhaps? (and what on earth would that entail?) Or should we just order a pizza and watch the damned movie? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/2 "2004-07-15T18:16:40Z")
Rabbit stew. ---
**Author:** ![badomen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c2a13f/32.png) [@badomen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badomen)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/3 "2004-07-15T18:17:49Z")
I have a Tolkien/Middle Earth hardcover art book at home that I can’t remember the name of off hand. It had a bunch of art, explanations of the characters, and (here’s the relevant part) some recipies for a bunch of Middle Earth themed dishes - the only 2 I remember offhand were some sort of muffin like things and Stryder’s Eggs. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/4 "2004-07-15T18:22:28Z")
Think in terms of a Renaissance/Medivel feast. Raid your local thrift store for all the wooden plates and bowls, goblets and ale-mugs you can find. Don’t give anyone any forks, just use knives and wooden spoons. No electric lights, just candles and lanterns. Do want it leaning towards the elegant Elvan dining experience? Spread leaves on the floor, Or is a rollicking good time in the “Green Dragon” more to your taste? Then use straw. Decorate accordingly. Join the S.C.A. Serve foods like meat pies, roasts, whole fruits, “Po-ta-toes”, stews, tarts, fowl, etc. Serve your ale from big pitchers. Call the bluberry pop-tarts “lembas” Have fun. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/5 "2004-07-15T18:23:40Z")
We had a similar [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=258171) recently where people suggested donuts, Bundt cake, ring bologna, Funyuns, etc. It didn’t dawn on me until later why those were appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/6 "2004-07-15T18:37:18Z")
Raw unskinned, unboned catfish. I don’t have the resource in front of me, but there was a rather descriptive menu for the supper at Tom Bombadil’s place (lots of honey & cakes & berries as I recall) But yeah, for the majority of the story I guess it was pretty much elven pop-tarts. ---
**Author:** ![Jenny\_Haniver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Jenny\_Haniver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenny_Haniver)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/7 "2004-07-15T18:58:05Z")
For the feast idea, you can get a ton of inspiration here: [http://www.godecookery.com/allrec/allrec.htm](http://www.godecookery.com/allrec/allrec.htm) It’s a site from an SCA guild that specializes in re-creating period recipes. (just promise me you won’t try to gook a live goose, that one’s just disgusting.) Some of the recipes even have pictures of the finished food. (And you can put little flags with the white tree of Gondor in your meat pies!) But cherry tomatoes are an absolute must. And roast a couple of whole chickens and make your guest tear them apart. After dinner immolation optional. And serve the salt in a cute little carved box (you’ll only get this if you’re watching the extended editions.) And mushrooms! (This thread is making me want to throw a LotR themed feast of my own…) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/8 "2004-07-15T19:01:59Z")
Whatever you have, you need to include at least one “mighty” dish featuring mushrooms. ---
**Author:** ![Jenny\_Haniver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Jenny\_Haniver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenny_Haniver)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/9 "2004-07-15T19:02:57Z")
Oooh! Also, hide a ring in one of the dishes! The person who finds The Precious goes home with a copy of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Jenny\_Haniver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Jenny\_Haniver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenny_Haniver)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/10 "2004-07-15T19:08:43Z")
I did a little googling and found you a great site: [http://lotrscrapbook.bookloaf.net/other/recipes.html](http://lotrscrapbook.bookloaf.net/other/recipes.html) And [here](http://fan.theonering.net/writing/recipes/files/jincey_lembas.html) is a recipe for lembas bread. I’m going to go do some work now, because I think I’ve gone in to dork-shock. ---
**Author:** ![Coelacanth\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Coelacanth\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coelacanth_Soup)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/11 "2004-07-15T19:11:31Z")
PO-TAY-TOES! Boil ‘em. Mash ‘em. Stick ‘em in a stew. Lovely big golden chips with a nice piece of fried fish… Malt beer, red meat off the bone. Just make sure you have plenty of pipe-weed 😉 ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/12 "2004-07-15T19:12:23Z")
> [@Jenny Haniver](#): > > Oooh! Also, hide a ring in one of the dishes! The person who finds The Precious goes home with a copy of the movie. What an awesome idea!!! I love it! I really want to have my own party now. I’d like to have a party with the whole series. I just have to find people who can sit still that long. I even have a cheap copy of the ring that I could use. It fell off a LOTR bookmark. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/13 "2004-07-15T19:29:54Z")
Tomatoes and grapes, for one memorable scene. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Spudo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Spudo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spudo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/14 "2004-07-15T19:32:16Z")
Po-ta-toes! ---
**Author:** ![FaerieBeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@FaerieBeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FaerieBeth)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/15 "2004-07-15T19:39:20Z")
I give you [The Hobbit Cooking Guild](http://www.hobbitfood.republika.pl/hobbits.htm)! btw-those parties sound like fantastic ideas! FB ---
**Author:** ![stately\_plump\_buck\_mulligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@stately\_plump\_buck\_mulligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stately_plump_buck_mulligan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/16 "2004-07-15T19:46:12Z")
There’s another good Middle-Earth recipe site [here](http://www.councilofelrond.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Recipes&file=index). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/17 "2004-07-15T20:05:55Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t have the resource in front of me, but there was a rather descriptive menu for the supper at Tom Bombadil’s place (lots of honey & cakes & berries as I recall) Similar fare is served and described at the home of Beorn, in _The Hobbit_. That might also be a source for you. Rabbit stewed with herbs is a definite must, but I’m not sure if it’d be more authentic to include the onions and taters (the way Sam wanted it) or not (the way they actually had to settle for). And real-life cram is known by the name “pilot biscuits”. You can get them at a backpacking store, along with dried meats and fruits, and other trail foods similar to what the adventurers would have carried with them. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/18 "2004-07-15T20:14:25Z")
Salted pork (Merry & Pippin speak of salted pork when Gandalf, Aragorn & Co. find them at Isengard. Gimli licks his lips.). ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2004, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/19 "2004-07-16T01:31:11Z")
Gotta have strawberries and cream. After the Shire was cleaned up the year 1420 was mentioned as being great for growing things. One line said “and young hobbits very nearly bathed in strawberries and cream.” ---
**Author:** ![Orual](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/779978/32.png) [@Orual](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orual)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2004, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295/20 "2004-07-16T12:00:28Z")
Fried tomatoes, sausages , and “nice crispy bacon”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-suggestions-for-a-lotr-rotk-party/255295.md?page=2)