77 of 78 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cunningham Magic from the Kitchen, April 2, 2003
This review is from: Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen (Paperback)
The original title of this re-release is "The Magic of Food" from 1990. Llewellyn has put this book back into print.
I love the opening lines "Food is essential to our lives. For many of us, the art of cooking and eating is a chore. For others, it is a great delight. And for some, the culinary arts and their products are indulgences. Food is substituted for love. Food is an excuse. Food is a god."
Scott explores all these aspects of food, as well as its magical properties and how this magic affects us and can be worked into our lives. The first part of the book is a small introduction to the magic of cooking, associations, tools, histories, practicing food magic and even some discussion on vegetarianism.
The meat and potatoes, if you will, of the book are the sections on specific types of foods. The foods are broken down into groups, like bread and grains, fruit, spices and herbs, etc. Common names, specific names, ruling planets, ruling elements, energies, lore and magical uses are explored, explained and looked at in its uses in magic and healthy living.
Mini-discussion on uses of salt in foods, substitutes for additives that do not promote overall good health, the healing qualities of foods, little known facts on food usages and food preparation make each of the topics covered interesting as well as useful.
"Nuts & Alleged Nuts . It is curious that one contemporary slang term for insanity is "nuts," as in, "That politician's gone nuts." In the past, these crunchy foods were thought to bestow wisdom, not mental derangement.*"
Footnote "*Then again, wisdom and insanity are often subjectively determined."
Scott's wit and humor are prevalent throughout the book as well as generous helpings of his wisdom and vast knowledge base.
And we are also treated to "Scott's Favorite Recipes". Appetizers, such as magic herb toast, beverages, desserts, main dishes. all here for you to consider and concoct in your own kitchen. Even magical soups and romantic salads are here for you to consider.
The book has a good table of contents, indexed, and contains a good glossary, tables of correspondences and bibliography. There is a mail order resource list which appears to be current, where you can get those hard to find ingredients.
Overall, a good book for your library, a better book for your kitchen and an essential book to have in your Cunningham library. boudica
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must for the Wicca with cooking aspirations, February 14, 2004
This review is from: Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen (Paperback)
Scott Cunningham does it again, this time with a wonderful tome that's part cookbook, part philosophy of food.
Cunningham divides the book up based on food groups, and there's so much information on each that you'll probably never look at your spice rack in much the same way again. Cunningham goes into detail about the associations of each type of food, but his book is structured in such a way that you can easily see how to assemble the ingredients for whatever magickal effect you desire.
The book's highlight is its recipes. The desserts are amazing, and the magickal soups are the kinds of things you wish you could order on a menu. Whenever they put up a Wiccan restaurant in my hometown, I hope they'll use this book as a guide.
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Food Magic, December 14, 2003
This review is from: Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen (Paperback)
Wicca In The Kitchen is the result of more than 17 years of investigation by one of Wicca's most important authors. Cunningham shows how one can effect change in any area of life by selecting food for its magical properties and consuming it with a specific goal in mind. Wicca In The Kitchen includes lists of magical correspondences for every kind of food and supplies magical diets for certain universal goals, including love, health, protection, abundance and psychic awareness. Organized by category, it also provides 27 of the author's favourite recipes and their magical applications. It is a delightful book that ought to appeal to all those interested in bringing a little magic into their lives and especially to Wiccans or to anyone whose hobby is cooking and who is looking for something that is a bit different. The book concludes with a glossary of terms, a bibliography and an index.
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