A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin has shared a first look at the incoming official Game of Thrones cookbook, including a recipe for Highgarden Dumplings.
Revealed on his blog, Martin deemed the holiday period a "fitting time" to give Game of Thrones and food fans an early glimpse at the incoming cookbook.
"The cookbook is presented as the in-world manuscript of Maester Alton, a curious, food-obsessed Citadel master who loves the fare of the highborn and small folk alike," Martin said.
"His recipes evoke the world’s regions, history, and stories in a charming and knowledgeable voice. Each section is introduced with stunning woodcut illustrations like this one featured in the opening pages of the book."
Though it doesn't release until May 7, 2024, Martin shared one of several hundred recipes in the cookbook. The Highgarden Dumplings page does not include the recipe itself but, as mentioned, an excerpt written as if by Maester Alton from within Westeros.
"Nowhere in the Seven Kingdoms can boast such rich harvests or such flavourful produce as the Reach," it begins. "Perhaps there is some truth to the legends of Garth Greenhand and his agrarian powers, but more likely the fertility of the lands around Highgarden can be attributed to the more mundane properties of its soil and geography."
This recipe will be joined by hundreds of others in the final cookbook, which are broken down into different categories: 19 in The Pantry, 111 Breads, 47 Breakfast, 139 Mains, 65 Sides, Starters, and Snacks, 173 Desserts and Sweets, 89 Soups and Stews, and 197 Drinks.
Readers can even prepare meals that make thematic sense, as the cookbook also includes a list of dishes organised by region.
Game of Thrones isn't the first major entertainment franchise to get an official cookbook. Fellow fantasy series The Witcher and The Elder Scrolls have both received entries, for example, alongside other video game franchises such as Stardew Valley and Destiny.
Martin, meanwhile, has been chipping away at the latest A Song of Ice and Fire novel The Winds of Winter, though fans grew concerned at his latest update. The author said in November 2023 he'd written around 1,100 pages, the same number he gave in 2022.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
