Thank you to Titan Books for sending a copy of the Gastonogeek Anime Cookbook in exchange for an honest review.
From Naruto to Hanji, learn to cook and eat like your favorite anime characters with the Gastronogeek Anime Cookbook by Thibaud Villanova. This eye-catching book contains 40 recipes inspired by the greatest anime from Demon Slayer to Attack on Titan. Some of my favorite shows included in the book are Fruits Basket, Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop.
Gastronogeek Anime Cookbook by Thibaud Villanova
From street food and dishes to desserts and drinks, this cookbook offers a large selection of recipes with varying difficulties. There is an impressive variety of popular anime with something for almost any anime fan. I was a little disappointed to see no Dragonball Super recipes especially because food is such a big part of that show and it is one of my personal favorites.
It is not blatantly obvious which anime each recipe comes from. This does give the book a more subtle and classic style rather than a fandom cookbook. It reminds me of the cookbooks from the 1960s. You know the ones that your mom, grandma or auntie probably had lying around collecting dust. Every recipe contained gelatin for some reason. Speaking of old things, my aging eyes had a little trouble reading the recipe text, especially the ingredients.
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The illustrations throughout the book are charming and well done. The contrast between the earth-tone recipe pages and the pops of color in the photos creates visual interest. The cover is easy on the eyes with its minimalist color palette, embossing, and illustrations. This is important to me because I like to display my cookbooks in my kitchen, especially while I am using them.
Cannibal Onigiri from Fruits Basket
I have always wanted to try my hand at Onigiri, so I was happy to finally have a recipe for this Japanese cuisine staple. My nephews joined me in the kitchen and we did our best to make rice balls that would make Tohru proud. As we made the filling, the mouthwatering smell of leeks cooking in butter permeated the air. The fun part was making and filling the rice balls. My husband even attempted a kitty rice ball like in the book and it turned out so cute. The instructions were easy enough for everyone to follow and it did not take much time to cook them up.
They turned out great (there were no leftovers) and now we are excited to try out different fillings. After we ate the fruits of our spoils, my nephews then asked me, “Which recipe are we doing next?” I now have my eye on Jin’s Dango from Samurai Champloo for our next culinary quest. This was a fun way to spend time together and you got to eat delicious food, what more could you want?
“When we’re born, all we have are desires for food and material things. Selfish instincts, I guess.” ― Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket
The Struggle (to find ingredients) Was Real
Finding some of these ingredients may not be the easiest depending on where you live. In a smallish Texas town like mine, there were not a lot of options to shop for these recipes. My geographical location is not the fault of the author so this is more of an anecdote than a criticism. Luckily, I found almost everything in a small local shop and the internet exists (I had to order potato starch online).
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I am not an experienced enough cook to know what would be suitable replacements for ingredients. Sometimes it seemed like the ingredients were a specific brand name and I drove myself crazy wondering if this other brand would suffice. I wanted to stay as true to the recipe as possible to get the chef’s intended experience.
Pay attention and take notes because you may need specific equipment for some recipes. For example, you need a wok to make Jet’s Beef, it always looks so good on Cowboy Bebop. Just know what you are getting into before you jump into a recipe. I made a pretty extensive list before going on my gathering adventure.
Foodie Fun for Anime Fans
Overall the Gastronogeek Anime Cookbook is a fun addition to any culinary collection. It looks nice on the shelf and is full of all sorts of yummy dishes. Host a watch party featuring food from your favorite shows. Or if you know someone who collects fandom cookbooks, like me, this would make a great gift. I really enjoyed trying a new recipe with my family and this cookbook made it fun and easy.
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