Roald Dahl's Cookbook

Roald Dahl's Introduction to his Cookbook

In 1991, Felicity Dahl posthumously published Roald Dahl's Cookbook, which she had written alongside her husband Roald during the very sickly final year of his life.

However!

Don't let this dreary background information set the tone or alter your outlook on this book in the slightest - it is truly a gem of a book both for its recipes and anecdotes alike.

Dahl begins his cookbook with a brief introduction to his family life and evaluates the value of food in his life and that of others. Within the first sentence of the cookbook Dahl explains that between himself and his wife Felicity, (who is often referred to in the book as 'Liccy,') they have so many children and grandchildren that 'more than 100 suppers ... are devoured here with gusto every week of the year'(13) whilst all gathered around 'twelve feet long' table... And he even describes that this is a 'squash!' Immediately it is clear that the Dahl family enjoy eating and enjoy the company and bonding that such an activity entails. The word 'devour' supports this further, showing that the family don't just eat to survive, but they like to eat, and rather ravenously too in fact! 'Devour' also has animalistic connotations, implying that not only do the family eat and enjoy their food but they completely indulge and immerse themselves in it, losing touch of all etiquette and graces - rather like Dahl's very own animalistic characters the Twit couple!

Dahl's description of the 'human traffic'(13) that moves around this table alludes to the idea that the Dahl family's dinner table is somewhat a symbol of home to them all, somewhere that they all return to frequently for recluse. This image of the dinner table being a type of hub to the entire Dahl family inevitably shows the significance of food in family bonding and the sense of home that good food can bring - something touched upon continuously in Dahl's anecdotes throughout the cookbook.

Not only do these introductory images created by Dahl immediately invite any reader into his home and set a friendly and familiar tone for the rest of the cookbook, but it also shows the reader Dahl's passion for food and inspiration behind his literature.

Although, Dahl does in fact go on to admit that 'this is not to say that we spend half our waking lives thinking about food... We simply regard meals, and supper in particular as a wonderful relaxing culmination to a day of hard work.'(13) Despite seeming to backtrack on the focus he places upon food in his life in the previous paragraphs, it could actually be inferred that in fact, here, Dahl is simply poking fun at his realisation of how much he and his family actually focus on food and meal time whilst writing the introduction.

Dahl, Roald, and Felicity Dahl. Roald Dahls Cookbook. Penguin Group, 1996.