Nanny Ogg's Cookbook: A Useful and Improving Almanack of Information Including Astonishing Recipes from Terry Pratchett's Discworld (Discworld Series) [Paperback]

Terry Pratchett (Author)

Book Description

Series: Discworld Series | Publication Date: February 26, 2002

They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach which just goes to show they're as confused about anatomy as they gen'rally are about everything else, unless they're talking about instructions on how to stab him, in which case a better way is up and under the ribcage. Anyway, we do not live in a perfect world and it is foresighted and useful for a young woman to become proficient in those arts which will keep a weak-willed man from straying. Learning to cook is also useful.

 

Nanny Ogg, one of Discworld's most famous witches, here passes on some of her huge collection of tasty and interesting recipes. In addition to such dishes as Nobby's Mum's Distressed Pudding, Mrs. Ogg imparts her thoughts on such matters as life, death, and courtship, all in a refined style that should not offend the most delicate of sensibilities. Well, not much. Most of the recipes have been tried out on people who are still alive.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

“They say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, which just goes to show they’re as confused about anatomy as they are about everything else, unless they’re talking about instructions on how to stab him, in which case a better way is up and under the ribcage. Anyway, we do not live in a perfect world, and it is foresighted and useful for a young woman to become proficient in those arts which will keep a weak–willed man from straying. Learning to cook is also useful.”

Now Nanny Ogg, one of Discworld’s favorite witches, is handing down some of her tasty and, above all, interesting recipes. In addition to the delights of Lord Downey’s Mint Humbugs and Spicy Spotted Dick, Mrs. Ogg imparts her thoughts on life, death, and etiquette (“If you go to other people’s funerals, they’ll be sure to come to yours”), all in a refined style that should not offend anyone. Well, not much.

From the Inside Flap

Nanny Ogg, one of Discworld?s most famous witches, has decided to pass on some of her huge collection of tasty and exceedingly interesting recipes. In addition to the delights of the Strawberry Wobbler and Nobby?s Mum?s Distressed Pudding, Mrs Ogg imparts her thoughts on life, death, etiquette, courtship, children and weddings, all in a refined style that should not offend the most delicate of sensibilities. Well, not much?

Most of the recipes have been tried out on people who are still alive.

Mrs Ogg gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Mr. Terry Pratchett, Mr. Stephen Briggs, Mlle Tina Hannan and Master Paul Kidby.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Transworld Publishers (February 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0552146730
• ISBN-13: 978-0552146739
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #92,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Terry Pratchett sold his first story when he was fifteen, which earned him enough money to buy a second-hand typewriter. His first novel, a humorous fantasy entitled The Carpet People, appeared in 1971 from the publisher Colin Smythe. Terry worked for many years as a journalist and press officer, writing in his spare time and publishing a number of novels, including his first Discworld novel, The Color of Magic, in 1983. In 1987 he turned to writing full time, and has not looked back since. To date there are a total of 36 books in the Discworld series, of which four (so far) are written for children. The first of these children's books, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, won the Carnegie Medal. A non-Discworld book, Good Omens, his 1990 collaboration with Neil Gaiman, has been a longtime bestseller, and was reissued in hardcover by William Morrow in early 2006 (it is also available as a mass market paperback (Harper Torch, 2006) and trade paperback (Harper Paperbacks, 2006). Terry's latest book, Nation, a non-Discworld standalone YA novel was published in October of 2008 and was an instant New York Times and London Times bestseller. Regarded as one of the most significant contemporary English-language satirists, Pratchett has won numerous literary awards, was named an Officer of the British Empire "for services to literature" in 1998, and has received four honorary doctorates from the Universities of Warwick, Portsmouth, Bath, and Bristol. His acclaimed novels have sold more than 55 million copies (give or take a few million) and have been translated into 36 languages. Terry Pratchett lives in England with his family, and spends too much time at his word processor.  Some of Terry's accolades include: The Carnegie Medal, Locus Awards, the Mythopoetic Award, ALA Notable Books for Children, ALA Best Books for Young Adults, Book Sense 76 Pick, Prometheus Award and the British Fantasy Award.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laughter and good food! What more could you want?, February 27, 2002

By 

tiggerbone "tiggerbone" (West Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nanny Ogg's Cookbook (Hardcover)

This heavily edited version of Nanny Ogg's Cookbook made me wish for the days when I was in Ankh-Morpork with me mum and she'd ...

OK, so that's going a bit too far. Please forgive me.

The recipes are all in metric units but that's no real trouble for a resourceful American cook! I have tried several, they came out quite well! The honey mixture for the porridge is delicious. I also liked Rincewind's potato cakes. The gumbo recipe was amazing! Technically, I suppose that I have also had the Librarian's recipe but that is quite probably splitting hairs.

But odds are that you aren't buying this for the recipes. You're buying it for the wit and wisdom of Terry Pratchett. You get that in spades! The way Leonard of Quirm makes a cheese sandwich had me laughing out loud! The sections on etiquette were divine. My personal favorite was about Death but then again, I've always loved that character.

Check it out! You won't regret it!

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A lightweight snack for Discworld fans, November 12, 2003

By 

Beau Yarbrough (Hesperia, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Nanny Ogg's Cookbook: A Useful and Improving Almanack of Information Including Astonishing Recipes from Terry Pratchett's Discworld (Discworld Series) (Paperback)

I've read all the Discworld novels -- so far, since that's a moving target when dealing with a prolific author like Terry Pratchett -- and have been jonesing for additional Lancre witches material. When I saw this book in my local bookstore, I felt compelled to pick it up.

The book is a compilation of recipes inspired by Discworld -- a wider variety than perhaps might be plausible, but bringing in the Ankh-Morpork city watch, wizards of Unseen University and other characters broadens this book's focus and appeal -- along with Nanny Ogg's advice on life and etiquette. The recipes are very British -- some of the ingredients are either unfamiliar to American audiences, or have names that will be unfamiliar -- but all look servicable enough.

The book shines in the sections later on, where Nanny expounds on life and love. While she keeps her infamously dirty mind relatively in check, the casual arrogance of the Lancre witches is good for quite a few laughs, with the not-so-subtle message that witches (and to a lesser extent, wizards) are above etiquette given that they can ruin the lives of anyone who would object. Not that they would, dearie. It's an amusing reminder that even the relatively benevolent Nanny is something of a terror to the mere mortals around her.

Ultimately, however, this is a small amount of new material for the price -- readers who thought "Eric" was a thin work will find this book to be positively anemic in comparison.

Recommended mostly for Pratchett fans who have read all his other works, and can't wait for his next novels to come out.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strawberry Wobbler, anyone?, September 28, 2001

By 

J. Messinger "camelotcrusade" (Wilder, KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nanny Ogg's Cookbook (Hardcover)

To all those Discworld fans out there, especially to the ones that love the witches, buy this book! If you've always wanted to serve Dwarf Bread to your guests (or beat them over the head with it) this is the book for you. I bought mine from the UK and the measurements are often in the metric system (I'm not sure about this one) but overall it's easy enough to understand.

Some of the stories will have you rolling... Carrot and Oyster pie comes to mind, which Mrs. Ogg helpfully annotates: "Carrots so's you can see in the dark and oysters so you have something to look at!"

Pick this one up for page after page of fun. The more knowledge of the Discworld you have (and its cusine), the more you will laugh.