The Witcher Cookbook authors tell us about bringing the Continent to the kitchen
By Daniel Roman
Traveling to fantasy worlds is fun, but is there anything that makes you feel more like you’re actually there than eating the rustic and exotic foods? The Witcher is a universe rich with cuisine; author Andrzej Sapkowski often took part in the vaunted fantasy tradition of describing meals in great detail. That’s even more true of The Witcher video games. CD Projekt Red’s acclaimed game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt featured a ton of recipes unique to various regions of the Continent.
Now, you can experience them in your own kitchen. The Witcher Official Cookbook: Provisions, Fare, and Culinary Tales from Travels Across the Continent is out now, bringing 80 recipes from the world of The Witcher to fragrant life. This cookbook is especially focused on the recipes of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which means that if you enjoy making the recipes, you can even track down some of the in-world food items in the game. Adding to the fun, The Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski provided the foreward for the book, which is narrated by a brand new character who’s traveling the land gathering recipes. It’s a charming journey through the flavors of the Continent.
To mark the release of The Witcher Official Cookbook, we spoke with its authors Anita Sarna and Karolina Krupecka about how they crafted this compendium of mouth-watering recipes. Read on for our exclusive interview!
DANIEL ROMAN: This is such a detailed and lovely cookbook that really manages to capture The Witcher spirit. How did the idea first come about to do a cookbook like this?
ANITA SARNA & KAROLINA KRUPECKA: The idea for the cookbook was a final step in a long journey, as we started making recipes inspired by the Witcher universe several years before this. We both read the Witcher books in our teenage years and then played the games, so the Witcher universe was always close to our geeky hearts. In fact, we ended up meeting and collaborating because of it! Long story short — I [Anita] was already running a blog about video game foods and made a few The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt-inspired recipes, and one day someone asked me about a recipe based on Andrzej Sapkowki’s books. At that time I didn’t have book-related recipes, so I searched for the requested recipe to see if someone had already recreated it, and that’s how I came across a blog made by… Karolina! I really liked her work, so I reached out to her and found out that we were living only a half-hour ride from each other. We decided to meet, and that’s how our friendship and collaboration started!
For a few years, we created numerous recipes inspired by video games under the Nerds’ Kitchen label, and we also had a chance to do a few collaborations with video game companies, including CD PROJEKT RED. We noticed that the Witcher-inspired recipes got a lot of attention, so after some time we created a separate website called Witcher Kitchen. We wanted to reach a global audience and advocate for not only Witcher-inspired recipes but all culture and folklore motifs related to them, and also food motifs’ impact on world-building. Our dedication to the project paid off when CDPR gave us a chance to create a full, official Witcher cookbook. Our aim was to pay tribute to the work of the original creators and all the culinary themes that already exist in the Witcher universe — we put a lot of passion and effort into this cookbook.
DR: Can you talk about how you approached the narrator? I’ve never seen a cookbook with this sort of storytelling, and it’s so fun.
AS & KK: So glad to hear you like it! The storytelling idea was implemented to help immerse readers in the world of our cookbook and to create an emotional connection to the book via our new character/narrator. We hoped this worldbuilding element would help highlight how our cookbook incorporates the Witcher universe lore (including slightly twisted versions of European fairy tales), with culinary elements in a compelling way for fans. These motifs are interwoven throughout the Witcher games and books, which is why we wanted to include more than just Witcher-inspired recipes in our cookbook. We wanted to fill the whole narrative with Easter eggs that reference the original works so that readers can experience this universe from a new perspective — a culinary journey across the Continent. Our narrator was designed with a lot of support from Marcin Batylda, Franchise and Lore Designer from CD PROJEKT RED, who helped us create all the stories presented in the cookbook.
We had a few basic ideas for this character (food lover, experimenting and making mistakes in the kitchen, cooking together with loved ones) and decided that they shouldn’t be involved in any previous stories, but should have some kind of outsider perspective towards regions and events that readers know from games. The chapters are divided by the different regions our narrator visits along her journey, where she enjoys food and learns new recipes. And she’s not a professional cook (she’s a cartographer!) — similar to us, cooking is her passion, not her profession, and it’s connected to her family’s tradition of gathering recipes along their journeys.
We also wanted to create lightweight, cozy stories infused with elements that were characteristic of this universe, but less intense or dark than if our narrator was a witcher. We wanted to achieve a character that readers could sympathize with. And with a short story tied to each recipe, we mixed all the references from the games and books to create a familiar, yet new experience in the Witcher universe. Also, it’s a cookbook, so we had limited space and had to develop concise but meaningful stories. It was a challenge, but we hope that the effect is satisfying for every reader!
DR: I was wondering if you could talk about the images for this book too. There are maps, there are detailed photos of food with props, there is beautiful artwork. What was the process of getting all that together like?
AS & KK: With this cookbook we wanted to create a coherent visual experience that enabled readers to dive into the world of The Witcher. That’s why we paid so much attention to detail in the photos, in order to catch the essence of this universe and create an immersive atmosphere. We wanted to create complex scenes that resembled the game’s environment and the ones that we interpret based on our knowledge of the Witcher universe, only with food as the main character. In order to achieve that we had to search for artisanal props at archeological festivals and flea markets. It was crucial for us to use our knowledge of The Witcher’s cultural references and to adapt them for the cookbook — for example, ornamental design and the use of given patterns. We tried to avoid generic items and to use culturally appropriate props in specific scenes. We spent many hours stylizing the sets to find the balance between the background view, props, and food display.
In fact, we did the majority of the photos in Anita’s flat, in a living room with an open kitchen. It was challenging to build a wide photo set to depict whole scenes instead of a simple “plate on a table” photo. It was a lot of work, and sometimes it was really funny — for example, when we brought in environmental items which made a lot of mess, such as sand and rocks, or had too many pieces of equipment squeezed into a small space with all three of us (me, Karolina, and Jakub, who was responsible for technicals and lighting), making it really hard to move around! Additionally, we had the chance to take some of the photos in the amazing CDPR studio, in a section that is stylized as a wooden tavern. As you can imagine, that made a really nice background for the food photos. We wanted to make sure everything looked as we initially intended, so we also did the photo post-processing on our end. We can say the photos were made by our small team from scratch!
When it comes to all the artwork, we had immense support from the CD PROJEKT RED team and our publisher. We discussed all the visual aspects of the cookbook with them and created a vision for the whole book that worked with the visuals known from the games. Illustrations were made by Daniel Valais, Senior Concept Artist, and the whole project was overseen by Przemek Juszczyk, Head of Franchise Art. The ornaments on the cover and within chapters were made by an outsourced artist, Srdjan Vidakovic, based on European and Polish folklore patterns that we gathered in design briefs as enthusiasts of ethnographic motifs. We wanted the visuals to align with the narrator’s story — starting with the cover — so we stepped away from the food photography that’s a usual choice for cookbooks and implemented an illustration with ornaments instead.
DR: What was your favorite region of The Witcher map to explore in the book and why?
AS & KK: Each region had its own interesting things to dive into, but White Orchard and Velen are our favorites, mainly because these are the first regions to explore in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (so the nostalgia hits right away!). Moreover, these regions also have many connections to our regional culture and cuisine. We love natural materials and folk ornaments that are depicted in these regions in the game — for example, handmade folk chandeliers and wall paintings inspired by Łowicz art. And we also like that in the Velen chapter, we have many references to superstitions and beliefs that are connected with our local regions and some Slavic motifs.
DR: Some of these recipes are somewhat intimidating, but it’s clear that an effort was made to make things as accessible as possible while keeping the book’s “made-from-scratch” mindset intact. Can you talk a little about striking that balance?
AS & KK: Many references to food motifs from the Witcher games and books are connected to European cuisines and old ways of preparing food. Many of them are rooted in our Polish cuisine, but still, it required a lot of research and recipe testing, as we weren’t familiar with all the dishes mentioned in The Witcher. As the cookbook was targeted at the global market, we had to be mindful of certain ingredient’s availability for a wide array of readers — but we had great support from our publisher who aided us in finding the balance between being faithful to the universe and considering the needs of a modern cookbook. Of course, there are some adjustments, simplifications, and cuts we needed to make. For example, we didn’t include some of the meals that require ingredients that were too hard to find in modern markets (Andrzej Sapkowki writes about such ingredients in his foreword).
And yes, some of the dishes presented in the cookbook indeed require a lot of time to make, but we wanted readers to get back to these great, magical moments of spending time in the kitchen, enjoying the cooking process and its tasty results without hurry, providing a kind of counter-narrative to modern kitchen habits. Still, we tried to keep the recipes easy to follow, even for beginners, so we hope the dishes are accessible for everyone. Also, for us it’s an ongoing project — we have our Witcher Kitchen website where we plan to support our community and cookbook readers, so we’ll certainly listen and respond to any feedback and keep developing our Witcher-inspired menu!
DR: Many of these recipes are from the games, although there are some from the books as well. What was your research process like?
AS & KK: The main focus for us was the video games, especially The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and all the food motifs we could find there: consumables, notes, dialogues, cutscenes, 3D assets. We also looked at the universe and its existing lore in a broader sense, taking into account changing seasons, harvests, and local characteristics (such as trade routes and ports influencing merchants’ inventory, like Zerrikanian spices in Novigrad) when designing dishes and adjusting them to the specific regions. We also took into account the main characteristics of the Witcher cuisine created by Andrzej Sapkowski in his books and also made some references to the food elements he implemented there. For example, iconic dishes like Lambert’s Dumplings or Mahakam Potato Soup are direct references. Some of the culinary motifs we implemented might be less obvious, as they are connected to locations or stories that differ from the original books and games. We’ve added little twists to them to adjust to this new narrative, while maintaining their original character that fits into the world of The Witcher. Overall, it was a lot of research that involved referencing the original Witcher games and books, as well as the real-life cultural references and recipes. Finally, we had to work on creating a complex, culinary-focused experience that would be coherent with the Witcher universe and still be an effective, modern cookbook.
DR: Is there any recipe from the book that you’re each especially proud of?
AS & KK: It’s really hard to pick just one or two — behind each recipe there’s an interesting story and a lot of memories for us! Baked sweets were quite challenging for us, so we’re really proud of how the recipe and photo for the Chocolate Souffle inspired by The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt turned out. We had a really small window of time to get the perfect shot of bloody-red wine sauce pouring over a hot souffle that might soon deflate!
DR: Lastly, if you were designing a dinner for some fellow travelers of the Continent, what recipes from this cookbook would you be most excited to put on the table?
AS & KK: We think the best kind of feast is one where you have a wide range of foods to try on the table! For a regular Witcher-style feast we’d recommend the Chicken Sandwich with Kaedweni Stout Marinade and Mahakam Zalewajka for starters, Sorcerer’s Beef Stew with Zerrikanian Spices as the main, Granny’s Caramel Nut-Baked Apples as dessert, and Infusions/Elixirs to celebrate the meal with a proper toast!
DR: Anita and Karolina, thank you both so much for taking the time to talk with us about The Witcher Official Cookbook!
AS & KK: The pleasure is ours! We’re so grateful for your thorough review and the chance to talk about the cookbook more in this interview! And if you want to see more of our creations, visit nerdskitchen.pl/en/ and witcherkitchen.com
A huge thank you to Anita Sarna and Karolina Krupecka for swinging by the site to talk about The Witcher Official Cookbook: Provisions, Fare, and Culinary Tales form Travels Across the Continent! The cookbook is available now from Ten Speed Press, wherever books are sold.
There’s plenty more to come on The Witcher front, so it’s a good time to practice some recipes for all those Continent-themed parties in your future. CD Projekt Red is currently working on a new Witcher game, while author Andrzej Sapkowski is slated to release another Witcher novel in Winter 2024/2025. Beyond that, Netflix’s next animated Witcher spinoff The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep is due to release in late 2024, and The Rats live-action spinoff is currently in post-production. And beyond that, The Witcher season 4 is due to begin filming with Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia in early 2024. Truly, The Witcher fans are eating well right now.
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