Most the foods Tolkien mentions in the text are simple, healthy, filling fare – and ideal for traveling.
The first chapter of The Hobbit paints a slightly more anachronistic representation of Middle-earth food, but that source as a whole is somewhat ‘fiddly’ anyway.
From An Unexpected Party, we learn that Bilbo’s pantries contain “beer, ale, porter, red wine, coffee(?!), and tea†to drink, and “‘cake’, seed-cake, buttered scones, raspberry jam, apple-tart, mince-pies, pork-pie, salad, cold chicken, eggs, cheese, and pickles†to eat (“pickles†was thankfully changed from “tomatoesâ€â€”a New World crop—in the third edition. Besides, unless they are canned, fresh tomatoes in mid-April would be ridiculous – fermentation is a much more hobbity method of food preservation!).
The rest of The Hobbit provides scant mentions of other foods, but these include:
“sorrel, blackberries, and strawberries†(all wild); Beorn’s “honey, cream, butter, bread, Mead (!), nuts, flour, dried fruits, and twice-baked honey cakesâ€, and the cram of Lake-town.
In The Lord of the Rings, the same foods are depicted on various tables with enough regularity that a clear picture can be imagined of everyday Middle-earth food, while several other familiar vegetables are referred to but never seen.
Hamfast Gamgee—“recognized as the leading authority by all in the neighbourhood (including himself)†in gardening—refers to “cabbages and potatoes†(FotR, 24). His son Sam was also evidently quite familiar with vegetables, based on his various other references.
After the chaos following Bilbo’s disappearance, Frodo revives himself “with a belated cup of tea.†This is one of those troublesome lingering anachronisms, as true tea (of the Camellia plant) originates in the Far East – either there’s significant trade between the Shire and Rhun, or else hobbits are steeping some other leaf in hot water.
As Frodo prepares to leave Bag-End, we read that the autumn of 3018 had trees “laden with apples, honey was dripping in the combs, and the corn was tall and full†(75). (Please note that this does not mean that Maize was grown in the Shire! – it could mean any Old World grain—wheat, barley, oats, &c.)
At Bamfurlong, Farmer Maggot serves “beer, mushrooms and bacon, besides much other solid farmhouse fare†(107).
At Bombadil’s table, the travelers are treated to “yellow cream, honeycomb, white bread, butter, milk, cheese, green herbs, and ripe berries.†(141). The food that Tom serves is intriguing, especially because his table includes much dairy, yet there is never any mention of his keeping livestock. Because the character is so enigmatic, it would be easy for us to say that the food is ‘magically’ created in accordance with his guests’ tastes. But at the same time, Bombadil keeps a small “kitchen-garden†including red-flowered pole beans (145), so I think his food is quite real. Knowing his habit of traveling about (to visit Farmer Maggot, for instance), I think it is probable that Bombadil trades with Bucklanders or Bree-landers for staples like milk or flour.
What I find more troublesome are his “ripe berriesâ€! The hobbits reach Bombadil’s on the 26th of Halimath, which equates to the Gregorian September 16 – what kind of berries are ripe that late in the year??
Continuing along the East Road to Bree, the hobbits reach the Prancing Pony and enjoy “good plain food, as good as the Shire could showâ€: “deep mugs of beer, hot soup, cold meats, blackberry tart, bread, butter, ripe cheese.†(175).
Apples are apparently found in Bree-land, too, as Sam receives a pocketful from Nob and Bob (204).
The Folk of Bree are also known to have kept geese (190), possibly for meat as well as eggs and feathers (arrow fletchings, pillows, &c).
Following the disaster at Weathertop, while lost in the Trollshaws the travelers’ rations are diminished to “stale bread and dried fruit†(239), possibly all that remains from their resupply at Bree (203). And we mustn’t forget that Glorfindel has a flask of elf-liquor!
At Rivendell, Bilbo reveals knowledge of another vegetable in his exchange with Lindir:
“'If you can't distinguish between a Man and a Hobbit, your judgement is poorer than I imagined. They're as different as peas and apples.'†(265).
Little mention of food is made as The Ring Goes South, although we do read that the Fellowship generally ate their “meal cold and cheerless as a rule, for they could seldom risk the lighting of a fire†(316). Therefore it is advisable for one to carry food that doesn’t need cooking.
Lembas, we are told, came “in the form of very thin cakes, made of a meal that was baked a light brown on the outside, and inside was the colour of cream.†The passage goes on to compare the various waybreads of Wilderland: lembas is clearly the best, followed by the Beornings’ twice-baked honey-cakes, with cram (from Dale and Lake-town) coming in last. (415).
After the Breaking of the Fellowship, the adventures of Merry and Pippin give great insight into the victuals of Isengard. The Orc-party who abducts the hobbits eat “stale grey bread†and “raw dried flesh†(mystery jerky!), and there’s also their burning orc-liquor, but that seems to be more like their version of ‘Five-Hour Energy’ as opposed to an actual, thirst-quenching drink. (TTT 49).
In the ruin of Isengard, Merry and Pippin find “bread†(which they make into toast), as well as “salted pork†and “rashers of baconâ€, plus “butter and honey†for bread, and barrels of wine and beer (181).
As the Ring Goes East, Frodo, Sam, and Smeagol eat well once they reach Ithilien. The description of the flora in “the garden of Gondor†paints a very clear picture of herbs available in a Mediterranean climate, so pay attention, Ithilien Ranger groups, if you want to use correct seasonings in your impressions:
“tamarisk, terebinth, olives, bay, juniper, myrtle, thymes, sage, marjoram, parsley, primrose, asphodel, and filbert (hazelnut)†(289).
While cooking his coneys, Sam wishes that Smeagol could find some familiar root vegetables – “onions, turnips and carrots, and taters tooâ€. He also offers to combine his and Smeagol’s favorite foods into a familiar dish: “‘fried fish and chips served by S. Gamgee’†(294-295).
Before sitting down to eat with Faramir and his Rangers, Sam refers to yet another veggie he apparently knows about: “`But if you're short of sleep cold water on the neck's like rain on a wilted lettuce.’†The subsequent spread at Faramir’s table includes “pale yellow wine, bread and butter, salted meats, dried fruits, red cheese†(320).
As they prepare to head towards Cirith Ungol, Faramir gives Frodo and Sam more of the same rations: “dried fruits, salted meat, and bread†(343). As we read in Book 5, apples were grown in Gondor (there were “many orchards†upon the Pelennor (RotK 7), so these dried fruits may have included them.
On the other side of the Anduin, Pippin eats “white cakes†with Denethor in his hall (RotK 15). Later that morning, he lunches with Beregond who requisitions “bread, and butter, and cheese and apples: the last of the winter store, wrinkled but sound and sweet; and a leather flagon of new-drawn ale†(21-22).
After this point in the story, the War takes center stage and food (save lembas) drops out of the narrative until we return to the unscoured Shire. There we learn that among the casualties of Saruman’s takeover, “All the chestnuts were gone.†(322). However, after the Battle of Bywater and Sam’s wise use of Galadriel’s gift, we read that in the Great Year of Plenty, “The fruit was so plentiful that young hobbits very nearly bathed in strawberries and cream; and later they sat on the lawns under the plum-trees and ate†and “The Northfarthing barley was so fine that the beer of 1420 malt was long remembered and became a byword†(331).
The presence of plums allows for dried plums (aka prunes), while the mention of barley gives us an appropriate dried grain to carry for porridge-making.
And of course, we can't forget Fish!
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