If you were a Hobbit, what would you eat?
September 22 is Hobbit Day!
I love holidays. All of them. Well, there are probably a couple of exceptions but that’s for another post. I especially love a good food holiday.
A few years ago, I was perusing through lists of national and international food holidays and came across Hobbit Day. Algorithms being what they are, it wasn’t long before someone’s Hobbit Day blog post magically appeared. It was excellent so I added it to my favorites to save for another day. Finally, the time felt right.
Full disclosure: I’m not a huge Tolkien fan. I read his books when I was young and have seen the movies but never really felt much kinship to any of the characters. Except maybe the dragon, Smaug, who wants to be left alone to nap amongst his shiny sparkly things. Honestly, same.
Okay, okay. People see Smaug as the villain. I get that. I also get why people love The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
So I wondered to myself
What would I eat if I were a Hobbit?
I started doing some research into Hobbit foods and ended up down the Hobbit hole, errr, rabbit hole. It was a much deeper hole than I anticipated.
I learned a lot.
September 22nd is designated Hobbit Day because it’s the birthday of both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. Fans around the world celebrate by watching the films (extended cuts, obviously) and eating Hobbit-style. Some will time their meals so they’re eating a close approximation of what the characters in the films are eating, while others eat Hobbit meals at Hobbit mealtimes. I chose the latter.
According to my research, Hobbits officially eat six meals a day in the books: Breakfast, elevenses, lunch, tea, dinner, and supper. Yet in The Hobbit novel, Bilbo eats second breakfast, which is famously mentioned in the film The Fellowship of the Ring. This suggests Hobbits eat seven meals a day. I’ve chosen to go with seven, along with a dessert which can be eaten any time you like.
The one thing I didn’t make was Lembas bread, which is probably the most well known food in the books. There were so many great recipes for Lembas bread that I decided I needed more time to check them all out. It’s a bigger project than I wanted to take on this year, so maybe another time.
As you can see, I still had plenty of other options for my Hobbit Day Menu!
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7 am - Breakfast - Toast with Goat Cheese, Jam & Pepitas
There’s no real “recipe” for this, just some advice to use a hearty seeded or dark bread with a nice slathering of goat cheese and the jam or marmalade of your choice. I used Black Currant. Pepitas are shelled pumpkin seeds and add a lovely crunch.
9 am - Second Breakfast - Cinnamon Apple Bread Pudding
This was so good, I’m pretty sure I’m going to rework this recipe as a prep ahead holiday breakfast meal.
11 am - Elevenses - Shirecuterie
I can’t resist a good pun. Sometimes I can’t resist a bad pun.
Either way, it’s not a charcuterie board without cured or preserved meats such as ham, dried or smoked sausages, and paté among other things. If it doesn’t have the meat, it’s simply a board or platter or tray plus whatever type of food is featured. Think cheese board, fruit tray, hot chocolate tray, veggie platter, etc. I’ll cover more of this closer to the holiday season, along with how to build a good one.
For my Shirecuterie, I have hearty pumpernickel toast with a spicy mustard & ham, gherkins, blue cheese, sharp cheddar, walnuts, and apple. Perfect with a beer, which is a Hobbit’s beverage of choice.
1 pm - Lunch - Cheesy Po-TAY-to Soup and Sausage & Cheddar Toastie
Again with the bad jokes. Also delicious with beer.
3 pm - Tea - Traditional Scone or Blueberry, Lavender & White Chocolate Scone with Tea
There’s really never a wrong time for a scone.
6 pm - Dinner - Stout & Beef Stew
More po-TAY-toes! This stew, a crusty bread and more beer is the perfect Autumn meal, especially if it’s a rainy day. It’s even better with a movie or book marathon.
9 pm - Supper - Eggs in Mordor
This is my version of Eggs in Purgatory AKA Eggs in Hell. I like it just as much as Shakshuka. As the name implies, it’s a wee bit spicy hot and is exactly the kind of “sop it up with bread" of meal you want after a marathon of day drinking on your Hobbit birthday.
My version of a Blackberry Tart, which is served in the Prancing Pony.
All-in-all, this was a fun menu to put together. It was also delicious, even if the food is a bit heavy for the Hotumn we have going on here in the South.
What would you put on your must-have Hobbit Day menu?