Roald Dahl: The Original ‘Foodie’

 Introduction:

Despite becoming a household name from the success of his children’s literature, Roald Dahl was quite the foodie. Whether he was reconstructing – or in many cases deconstructing - existing foods, or imagining whole new foods of his own, Dahl has a clear focus on food in his novels and short stories. From giant fruit, to the fruit of a giant, and midnight feasts to cake scoffing, it is safe to say that Dahl has a quirky fascination with food and its fantastical possibilities. 


However, what is not commonly known, is that Dahl’s love of food wasn’t only explored in his literature; during the last year of his life, Dahl and his wife Felicity put together Roald Dahl's Cookbook (1991), a compilation of recipes loved by Dahl and his family which he had collected throughout the years. Whilst this cookbook is an earnest text, there is also another book of recipes by Dahl: Roald Dahl’s Revolting Recipes (1994). This recipe book is polar opposite to the cookbook - it features a selection of the weird, wacky, and yet wonderful food throughout Dahl’s literature such as the fictional snozzlecumber from The BFG, (1982) and brings them to life with real recipes.

Roald Dahl’s infatuation with food is something which can easily be missed without reading through the lens of food, particularly without knowledge of his posthumous cookbook. In this blog I hope to bring Dahl's fascination with food to life once more, sharing with you all the significance of food behind Dahl’s inspiration for both his literature and his cookbook.