A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook (A Song of Ice and Fire) (3 page)

This recipe makes a rich sauce that pairs well with robust red meats, such as venison and boar, as well as the more mundane beef. The quantities of ingredients can be tweaked to make the sauce thicker or thinner to your preference, and you can adjust the amount of pepper to taste. The tartness of the vinegar might surprise you at first, but after a little acclimation, we think you’ll like it as much as we do. The charred flavor of the bread combined with the bite of the pepper rounds out the flavor sensations that go with this sauce.

This recipe produces a quirky sauce, something like a rustic béarnaise. The butter lends it a decadent creaminess, while the lemon complicates the flavors in the best way. Ideal for serving with small poultry, such as quail.

This simple historical sauce pairs well with any fish. The combination of vinegar and ginger provides an interesting culinary experience, but it is subtle enough that it doesn’t overpower the natural flavors of the fish.

This is a wonderful trick to thicken your soups and stews. The flour works to thicken the broth, while the butter keeps the flour from becoming globby.

Makes enough for eight 4-inch tarts, two 9-inch tarts, or one 9-inch double-crust pie
Prep: 10 minutes

This recipe makes dough that is buttery and rich, and just perfect for both sweet and savory dishes.

This dough, when fried, creates a wonderfully old-fashioned-tasting cookie that is perfect for showcasing your favorite syrupy topping. Occasionally a bit hard, these are at their best when they’re allowed to soak up the juices from the toppings.

Makes a single crust for a 9-inch pie
Prep: 15 minutes

This recipe makes lovely dough that just begs to be made into fruit tarts. The lemon flavor comes through even after baking, sweet and tart.

Summary of Cuisine by Region

The northernmost point in Westeros, the Wall is home to the Night’s Watch: keepers of the 700-foot wall of ice, and the watchers in the night. It is a place that never gets warm and where the chill seeps into a person’s bones. The Night’s Watch is undervalued and underfunded, so they mostly eat whatever they can come by. Much of it is preserved—salt pork, salt cod, honeyed venison, and pickled foods. They also rely heavily on dried goods such as beans, peas, oats, nuts, and berries. Drinks of choice include hot wine and very heavy beer to help keep warm.

A vast region nearly as large as the other kingdoms of Westeros combined, the North is ruled by the Starks in Winterfell. Their tables groan under the weight of roasted game, fowl, root vegetables, and baked goods. Apples, berries, squash, and a plethora of seafoods feature heavily—though they occasionally receive goods from other parts of Westeros via the port in White Harbor. (Hence Sansa’s affection for lemon cakes.)

Much of the Vale of Arryn is made up of harsh, impassable mountains. However, in the Vale itself, the land is fertile and able to sustain the people who live around it. The Eyrie, the towering stronghold of House Arryn, serves up various sweets, including honeycomb and cakes, but also relies on meat from sturdy mountain animals like goats.

Nestled in between forks of the river Trident, the fertile plains of the riverlands are ruled by House Tully. The rich soil allows for a wide variety of crops, while the rivers yield up plentiful trout, pike, and other fish. Leeks and other greens abound.

Like the members of the ruling House Greyjoy, the ironborn do not sow. The tables of these island people are laden with what can be harvested from the sea and what can be taken from others. Fish stews, crab stews, spiceless meats, and dark breads provide the basic nourishment for this region.

The Reach is the southern breadbasket of Westeros. Here, rich agricultural lands yield the abundant bounty that has given Highgarden its reputation for prosperity. Dishes from this region are often prepared with the same courtly flair that distinguishes its ruling family, the Tyrells, who dine on delights such as cream swans, poached pears, and a wild array of fruit tarts.

With a cuisine as fiery as the tempers of its people, the sandy region of Dorne features ingredients native to its desert reaches. Grilled snake and fire peppers are among the more unique ingredients, but the warm climate also produces copious olives, blood oranges, grapes, and dates.

As the largest harbor and city in Westeros, King’s Landing is a melting pot, where all the peoples and cuisines of the realm come together. The highborn feast on swan, boar, partridge, and snails, while the commoners brave the infamous pot-shops for a bowl of dubious brown. Fruit is plentiful and features heavily in an assortment of cakes and tarts.