Unique Book Festival Mixes Books, Food, Puns, and Fun

Being here in the Old North State, I don’t know much of the goings-on in other areas across the country unless I read about them, and I stumbled across a fantastic event in California that was new to me.  Mind you, North Carolina has a number of fantastic, fun, and unique events going on each week, but I really enjoyed reading about the “Edible Book Festival” at University of California, Berkeley. I’d never heard of this event, again I think it may be because we’re way across the country, but this sounds like a fantastic time for book and food lovers alike.

Sadly, the event has already taken place, I was too late to catch a ride to Cali and experience this festival but the Berkeley Library says, “Edible Book Festivals feature creative food projects that draw their inspiration from books and stories. Edible books might physically resemble books, or they might refer to an aspect of a story, or they might incorporate text. Judges select winners for an array of light-hearted prize categories, such as “Best Literary Pun” or “Most Delicious Looking.” The Festivals are a great way to celebrate both book-making culture and the culinary arts.” (https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/edible-book-festival)

Some of the dishes are creative puns on books or themes or covers but I also read that there are some dishes that are just straight out of some of our most beloved books.  Some entries in the past have been things like butterbeer from Harry Potter or lembas bread from Lord of the Rings.  I think A Song of Ice and Fire (better known as the Game of Thrones series) could provide enough recipes for its own festival.

After a little more digging, I found these types of events aren’t just at UC Berkeley, but it’s something celebrated in different areas around the world.  While there is a rich history of “Edible Book Day” that I won’t go into, I would encourage book-lovers in N.C. (or anywhere for that matter) to maybe start a pun-filled, book-loving, food festival, no matter the scale.  It sounds like a great time.