The Hunger Games Feast: Recipes from Panem

Prim, Katniss’ little sister, helped the family survive thanks to the milk from her pet goat. The morning of reaping day, Katniss wakes to find goat cheese wrapped in fresh basil leaves. Bring this delicious appetizer (or breakfast treat!) to your table in one-bite form. We bet the mint leaves in this appetizer would remind Katniss of evenings at home.

Hunting outside of your district is illegal, but the brave few who sought fall’s first apples would be richly rewarded if they could make them into this simple dessert. Perhaps the town baker could provide a worthy substitute for the pie crust.

Katniss and those around her repeatedly give thanks for bread, starting with Gale’s quick-thinking trade the morning of the reaping and ending with a much-needed gift from midair. We can easily say that we’d trade a squirrel for this mouthwatering loaf.

In District 12, “where you can starve to death in safety”, as Katniss says, squirrel, or any meat, was considered a luxury and was frequently dried or used in a stew. Original recipes dating to 19th century Virginia for Brunswick Stew called for squirrel meat, but in this recipe we’re using chicken. After all, didn’t you trade your squirrel meat to the baker for bread?

Admit it, didn’t you swoon a little as Katniss and Gale romped around outside the fence of District 12 to hunt, gather, and fish? A burst of fresh blackberry will take you right back to their carefree chatter and mornings in the sun.

In-season strawberries are so delicious that it’s no surprise they were a redeeming black-market item. Someone should tell the Mayor that a few extra ingredients would make his passion for the ruby-hued berries swell even larger.

Greasy Sae, known for her hot soup business, eagerly took the greens of Katniss’ hands in the Hob, District 12’s black market. While almost all greens add a bold bite of flavor to soup, kale is a user favorite, making it an easy winner in our book.

When you’re hungry with a family to feed, you’ll do almost anything, so adding your name to more tesserae for the chance of increased grain and oil seems almost logical, until reaping day. Add more grain to your diet by making this delicious side; it pairs well with everything from stew to barbecue.

Compassion in The Hunger Games comes in the form of burned bread exchanged between two children. We don’t suggest intentionally burning this nutty loaf, but if it brings you love and saves you from starving, who can be blamed for a little nudge toward the coals?

Sometimes the distance between starvation and survival comes from knowing what’s in front of you nose. You can’t eat everything you find in nature, but it proved important to Katniss and her family to know the difference between a friendly Dandelion and a deadly berry. Transform yard weeds to dinner delicacies in this hearty side dish.

A gift of cookies can be seen as simply a present or as a reason to become suspicious, at least for Katniss. We guarantee that there’s nothing shady about these Frosted Ginger Cookies, at least nothing that would get them tossed off a train.

Rabbit brought Katniss’ mother back from the brink to make a stew for the family. As rabbit is becoming more popular in US diets, it’s more easily found in specialty supermarkets. As one user commented, “I felt like a French peasant cooking the rabbit!” in this pasta dish.

Did you know? Katniss is a real plant, a root often roasted or served in stews. The closest to these “small, bluish tubers”, as Katniss describes them, are small blue potatoes, which we used in a colorful potato salad.

Buttercup may have been the name of the scruffy, hissing cat so loved by Prim, but it’s also a pretty tasty variety of squash. Use it in soups, stews, or this inspired pasta-like recipe.

A big breakfast at the Capitol starts with piles of eggs, ham, fried potatoes, fruit, rolls, orange juice, and coffee, but the real treat is hot chocolate. While Katniss didn’t mention marshmallows, we can’t imagine the Capitol would do without! This extra rich hot chocolate features Marshmallow Whipped Cream.

While us regular people sip our hot chocolate, Peeta tastes this decadent dessert to the next level. By dipping hunks of freshly-baked bread into the drink, he unknowingly transforms it into a fondue. If only he’d thought to dip a slice of fruit into the melty goodness, then we’d know he was a born genius.

Peeta mastered the art of cake decorating in District 12, bringing a little joy through his artistic window dressings. Little did he know that his skills as a baker would pay off down the road. Try your hand at cake decorating by following our tips and tricks to master beautiful wedding and birthday cakes.

The breads offered at the Capitol reflect the variety in the districts. While we don’t have a recipe for seaweed-tinted, fish-shaped bread, we do have a yeast roll recipe that offers you three different styles of bread: yeast rolls, herb rolls, and cinnamon rolls. We’d like to claim citizenship in the cinnamon roll district, please.

Katniss wowed the Gamemakers with her marksmanship when she encountered a roast pig complete with an apple in his mouth. Roasting an entire pig can be time consuming, so we suggest sticking with a manageable pork loin, instead. Delicious flavor, easier clean up.

Toppling into a punch bowl might be embarrassing for some, but when it’s as delicious as this fruity drink, you’ll simply be thankful you’ve got first dibs. We do suggest removing any party-goers who have fallen in, if possible, before serving.

Katniss and Peeta celebrated a memorable showing at the opening ceremonies with a flaming cake. Bring the fun of fiery desserts home with a banana flambe. The flames burn off the alcohol in the rum, making for a must-try dessert that’s exciting and delicious.

When asked what impressed her most since arriving at the Captiol, Katniss didn’t hesitate: Lamb Stew. Serving the stew Katniss-style, over rice, ensures that no juicy morsel goes unsavored.

For her first meal in the game, Katniss avoids breaking into her stash of dried beef and crackers and instead returns to a hunting favorite: pine bark. The next time she risks hunger, we suggest she go for our chocolaty Trail Mix Bark instead. It packs a sweet protein punch without getting sap in your teeth.

Katniss narrowly escapes indulging in poison berries, but others are not so lucky. The berries in this fresh dessert are perfectly safe, but incredibly addictive.

A simple bag of apples turns out to be anything but during The Hunger Games. Skip the arrow and spear your apple with wooden craft sticks before giving them a sweet chocolate disguise.

Fish provide easy-to-catch meals when hunger strikes and you’re near a water source. Take a tip from Katniss and enjoy the whole fish. You’ll find bold flavor when eating off the bone rather that starting with store-bought fillets.