The Wicca Cookbook: Recipes, Ritual, and Lore

by Jamie Martinez Wood, Tara Seefeldt

Break out your cauldron and stir up a little witches' brew with Jamie Wood and Tara Seefeldt's unique culinary look at early pagan rituals and holiday feasts. Reaching back into the 13th and 14th centuries, THE WICCA COOKBOOK offers spellbinding ways to celebrate the divinity within nature and each of us. Without requiring any formal commitment to Wicca and its beliefs, this one-of-a-kind collection emphasizes simple recipes using ingredients at their seasonal peak, from Rose Petal Jam and Dandelion Wine to Medieval Honey Cakes and, of course, Witches' Brew. Whether youvre a practicing Wiccan or an adventurous cook, THE WICCA COOKBOOK is a charming and historically accurate tome to be treasured. Organized according to eight naturebased festivals called sabbats, it offers a variety of main dishes, side dishes, desserts, and drinks.  

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Wicca, Witchcraft, Nonfiction, Paganism, Magic

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

Reviews

[Susan Tuttle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook features magickal rituals and delectable recipes for ALL of the major pagan holidays, featuring organic ingredients and fresh herbs. The recipes have been meticulously researched to reflect historical authenticity. I am particularly enticed by the Soothing Juniper and Mulled Pears, Witches’ Thanksgiving Brew, Yam and Acorn Squash Soup, All Hallows’ Eve Cakes, Wassail Wiccan Punch, and Autumn Awesome Apple Pie. En-joy some unique, nature-honoring dishes to spice up and enliven your pagan celebrations!

[Ana Mardoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wicca Cookbook / 0-89087-995-8

Unlike other Wiccan cookbooks which often organize recipes around types of cooking (starters, main dish, side dish, dessert, etc.), "The Wicca Cookbook" organizes its recipes around the yearly Sabbats. Each chapter explains the history of the Sabbat, the magical significance of the Sabbat, the associated seasonal produce, and suggested dishes. This organization is perfect for urban-raised wiccans (like me) who haven't memorized the yearly produce growing cycle. Are berries picked in the spring or the summer? Is corn harvested in the summer or the fall? "The Wicca Cookbook" can answer these questions, as well as how to prepare the seasonal bounty both for food and for magical decorations.

This cookbook is perfect for helping to plan Sabbat meals and celebrations, but I'm not sure how useful it would be as an everyday cookbook. The recipes are sometimes very complex (each recipe includes multiple spices to add magical intent to each dish) and picky eaters and shoe-string budget families will have to do a bit of trimming and rewriting to make the recipes more feasible. I also continue to be startled by how many wiccan recipes (both in this book and others) demand to have rose petals included in the meal. I'd estimate that a good dozen or more recipes in this book center around rose petals, and I'm baffled at where I'm supposed to get these petals. Roses do not grow easily in the American southwest where I live, and a commercial bouquet costs a minimum of $40 here, with no way of knowing what pesticides were used in the growing of these flowers. Consequently, a good dozen or more of the recipes in this book I cannot try. I chalk this up to one more difficulty between being an American wiccan in a European wiccan's world - it's up there with being told to harvest your own staves from fallen tree branches. Will dried cactus branches do? No? Oh well.

As an added note, this cookbook is neither vegetarian nor vegan, as several recipes include meat, cream, and dairy products. I know that some people prefer vegan or vegetarian cookbooks for their money, so I thought I'd mention it here. Several of the recipes also call for various kinds of wine and alcohol, but the recipe will sometimes include non-alcoholic substitutions for people with alcohol intolerance. If you eat meat and dairy products regularly and would like a good guide for planning Sabbat meals, this is a very good resource and I definitely recommend it.

~ Ana Mardoll

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although our spiritual and culinary beliefs are eclectic, we find ourselves turning to this volume on most cardinal and cross-quarter dates, and often include the results on our food blog.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decided to read this because it was written by one of my old history professors, and I was on something of a cookbook kick earlier this year. I'm not overly familiar with Wicca, but this was a fun read, and many of the recipes looked interesting!

[Tempest · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy this book, in addition to recipes it has information about the Sabbats. What makes it more than just a cookbook is the additional information that goes with the recipes; instead of being set up like most cookbooks(appetizers, deserts, etc...)it is set up in order of the Sabbat the recipe is associated with. Most of the recipes seem simple to make. It's an enjoyable cookbook.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the Medieval style illustrations. I also like the bits of lore throughout the book. There are recipes for each holy day during the Wiccan year.

[Regina Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty cool. But I do believe recipes were modified, because in Europe in Medieval time there was no sugar.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have several Pagan and Wiccan cookbooks. This is my favourite. These recipes never disappoint, no matter how different some of the methods may seem to many modern cuisines. Highly recommend.