Background

World of Warcraft: The Official Cookbook is a book written by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel, who is a lifelong artist and fan of fantasy. In fact, she also wrote the book “A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook”. Chelsea’s work is created from imagination and research by applying her “multifaceted creativity” to aid in her career of “transforming imaginary foods into reality”. This book was published in 2016, right around the time of the release of the new expansion, Legion. This expansion added many things, including new levels, a new hero class, ten dungeons, two raids, artifacts, a new part of the story, and a new location in the game, making the world of Azeroth even bigger, having new areas to explore, and even adding more recipes to the game. 

This cookbook has seven sections: 

1. Spices and basics
2. The way of the nibble (sides)
3. The way of the loaf (breads)
4. The way of the broth (soups and stews)
5. The way of the entrée (mains)
6. The way of the sweet (deserts)
7. The way of the tankard (drinks) 

For each section, all of the recipes have a skill level, cook and prep time, how much each makes, and some even have pairings with other recipes in the book! Each recipe also has a little bio at the top of the page; included in these are relation to the game, little jokes, and explanation of tastes. All of these bios are written in a language best described as what you would see in a fantasy novel or game. 

Fel Eggs and Ham: “You can eat them near or far; you can eat them in Orgrimmar! Far less dangerous to make than its wild counterpart, this version of Fel Eggs and Ham will have you saying, “Yes! I DO like this!” Simple but flavorful, the creamy filling is topped by a crisp, salty piece of prosciutto, making for a presentation that is stealthily impressive as it is tasty.” ((Monroe-Cassel,  39)

Honey-Spiced Litchen: “With just a dash of sweetness, these crunch “litchen” crisps are a tasty way to enjoy your daily greens. Often peddled by fungus vendors, these lightly nutritious snacks of the Undercity undead are now easy to make yourself.” (Monroe-Cassel, 43)

This cookbook also includes a page for dietary restrictions at the beginning (page 10). Explaining how some recipes can be adapted to be vegetarian or vegan diets, and how even some of the recipes that would normally include gluten, can have some alterations to make it gluten free! There is also an included table in the back of the book (page 215) that breaks down each recipe into four categories; vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, and ones that can be made gluten free or vegetarian with “simple alterations” (pg. 215) 

The book also has a fun section to challenge readers to get achievements to get to the master level, just as the game promotes achievement and advancement. The challenge is making a total of 5 recipes from sections 2 through 6; a total of 30 different recipes, all of varying skill level. This aspect ties the fantasy feel of the game to real life, making it feel more and more like the game.

 

Audience

This book is written around and about the game World of Warcraft, and to really understand the background of this book, one would have to be somewhat familiar with the game. For example, the author writes “Here’s to hoping you all stay Well Fed on your journey through this book!” (pg. 6). One would think that maybe “Well Fed” being capitalized is just a typo, but it is actually something in the game! Well Fed gives you a buff (like a spell) that increases your stamina in game, and increases your health. Understanding what Azeroth is, who the Horde and Alliance are, and what meal the recipes are referencing are all part of understanding the game. 

Even though this cookbook is written like a fantasy book and is aimed at people who play the game, anyone can enjoy the adventurous recipes that are included! Each recipe is listed with a skill level: apprentice, expert, and master. Some of the recipe names are a little outlandish, like “Rylak Claws” (butter and almond pastry) or “Forest Strider Drumsticks” (turkey legs) and some sound mystical, like “Hearthglen Ambrosia” (black tea recipe) or “Spiced Blossom Soup” (floral soup). The title of the recipes in this book are meant to invoke a feeling of adventure and fantasy in the reader, experimenting with dishes and drinks from this popular game. Though not all the food types are actually real, the author used the closest thing to the fictional game. The author stayed as true to the game as possible. Even with fantasy food items, she stayed true to the dishes and made little alterations to bring them to life. 

 

Identity 

Azeroth is full of different races, genders, sexual orientations, and people of different socioeconomic statuses and attracts an audience that is just as diverse. The food in the game reflects a lot of the same costs and areas that you would see in real life. For example, “Roasted Quail” (page 135) is a dish in the game that would be in a higher socioeconomic status. Things in the game that would cost a lot to make or purchase, seem to then trickle down into the cookbook. Those same dishes would have more expensive or more rarely used ingredients in today’s society. On the flip side, things like stews are found in lower socioeconomic areas and tend to be cheaper to make and purchase, even in real life. 

The recipes in this book have a wide variety of tastes, skills and are made for the players and fanbase, making it hard to pin down a particular identity for the readers as it is very diverse. The best descriptor is plainly for players of the game. This is a type of game that takes a lot of time and devotion to raise up through the levels. The cookbook then brings all of that time and devotion into real life, into something that people typically love and enjoy: their food. There is something for everyone in this book that ranges in prices, tastes, and skills to bring their fantasy to real life. 

 

Ties to Class: 

Taste

 There are lots of aspects that go into making a dish; history, originality, how it presents itself, etc. Let’s be real, brownies don’t look too visually appealing, but they taste good and make you feel good. Those two are driving factors in enjoying a good meal or dish. Even with foodstuffs being increasingly popular in today’s society, according to Chelsea, 

“Good spices remain one of those items that have retained just a tiny hint of the exotic. Nothing beats a whiff of warm fresh cinnamon or the cool peppery bite of juniper berry. Spices have been treasured throughout the ages, and that connection with history remains with them, giving the dishes a richer feeling of authenticity.” (Monroe-Cassel, 9)

Chelsea also wants players to branch out and explore new flavors, and even refresh some of the spices that you may already have, but have been hoarding and not quite using. 

“Level up your seasoning collection… Experiment with interesting new peppers or various types of salt. It’s an adventure that will likely end with some really tasty foods.” (Monroe-Cassel, 9)

This cookbook makes you feel like you’re on an adventure, both in the game and in real life. People who buy this book want the authentic taste of a dish just like their character, as well as others, in Azeroth would get. You’re experiencing the game while also experiencing real life cooking adventures and trying new things.

Culture

In World of Warcraft, Azeroth is the equivalent to Earth. There are different continents and each has their own territories. There are different races and cultures all throughout the world of Azeroth. Different foods come from different territories and follow their own cultures. For example, the Tender Shoveltusk Steak (page 143) is from the Northern part of Azeroth, made from a beast exclusively found in the north. Another example is the Westfall Stew (page 109), which is found in Westfall. This area is plagued by crime and poverty and full of people who are rejected from the rest of the human population. This dish is cheap to make and purchase for the poor farmers and criminals. To know these cultural and societal differences, one would need to know the story and areas of the game, these are not things that are listed in the book itself, but knowledge someone carries from the game to the book. 

Social Class 

This book has a very wide range of examples of the social class that it is aimed at. For example, there is a recipe “Roasted Quail” (pg. 135) that, by the name, requires quail and is not something you see every day. However, in the page just before that, is a recipe for “Ogri’la Chicken Fingers” (pg. 133), which are just chicken fingers, something that is simple and made just about anywhere. 

There are also “Beer Roasted Boar Ribs” (pg. 117), which the author states can be made with pork ribs and feels like something that would be served at a cookout. Then a few pages back is a “Spiced Blossom Soup” (pg. 103) which is made with tea and actual flowers and looks like something out of a fairy tale that one would find in a fancy restaurant. 

The game, as well as these real life recipes, include a wide variety of recipes aimed at a range of social classes just as the game itself does. Even the dish names can make you feel a certain way about the food; it’s normal and simple, this is exotic, fancy, or odd, etc. This cookbook evokes a sense of adventure in the reader, making it a fun adventure for them and adding to their culinary knowledge and tastes. 

 

References:

Cassel, C. M.-. (2016). The world of WarCraft: the official cookbook. Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/World-Warcraft-Official-Chelsea-Monroe-Cassel/dp/160887804X. 

Monroe-Cassel, C. (2016) World of Warcraft: The Official Cookbook. San Rafael, CA: Insight Editions

Russel, L. (2019, September 11). Black Spire Outpost Cookbook Author Interview with Chelsea Monroe-Cassel! That Hashtag Show. https://www.thathashtagshow.com/2019/09/10/black-spire-outpost-cookbook-author-interview-with-chelsea-monroe-cassel/. 

Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, April 13). World of Warcraft: Legion. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Warcraft:_Legion#:~:text=The%20expansion%20was%20released%20on%20August%2030%2C%202016.,initially%20included%20ten%205-man%20dungeons%20and%20two%20raids.