It goes without saying, but everyone needs to eat. At the bare minimum, to continue surviving and living, you need sustenance to fuel you.
But eating is about so much more than mere survival. Eating is something to be enjoyed, from savoring every last bite of your favorite meal to breaking bread and fellowshipping with friends, loved ones, and even strangers. People need to eat, and more than that, people love to eat.
Including people who love comic books and pop culture properties, and an entire sub-industry has been created around cookbooks based on hit movies, television shows, and other media. Gilmore Girls, Game of Thrones, even God of War have books dedicated to cuisine inspired by each of those properties, and the good people at Insight Editions alone have so many others to offer for fans of all types. Out of all the cookbooks I’ve seen, though, Insight’s Black Panther: The Official Wakanda Cookbook might just be the best, most fully realized cooking companion out there.
With recipes and text from Nyanyika Banda, the cookbook is written from the perspective of Ndi Chikondi, the executive chef of the Royal Palace of Wakanda. So right off the bat, this isn’t a dry tome of a few dishes “inspired by” Black Panther; no, this is meant to be representative of the diet and cuisine of the great nation of Wakanda, featuring dishes that T’Challa, Shuri, Ramonda, Nakia, and other citizens enjoy in a daily basis.
The book opens with a heartfelt foreword from writer Jesse J. Holland, who shares some touching words about the impact Black Panther had had over the years and how he’s personally been involved in various projects centered around Wakanda. This is followed by an introduction from Chikondi, who shares some of their personal history in Wakanda and how they’ve always felt destined to carry on the family tradition of feeding Wakandans, which can now be shared with the world. This adds a level of verisimilitude to the book, to where it truly feels like an actual collection of real recipes from a real nation.
Before the cookbook proper begins, there’s also a helpful Ingredients Guide and a Dietary Considerations section. The former goes into some of the more unique or “exotic” meats, herbs, and spices used in the dishes, while the latter breaks down which meals are vegan, vegetarian, non-dairy, and gluten free.
The recipes are then categorized into different sections, starting with Spices, Sauces, and Condiments, then going into Market Food, Breakfast, Soups and Salads, Vegetables and Sides, Main Dishes, Desserts, and Drinks, with a Conclusion and About the Author at the end to wrap the book up. Each dish has a fun little anecdote from Chikondi, detailing the significance this specific food has on individual Wakanda families or the nation as a whole, and the overall design of each page is pretty stunning as well. The fonts and graphics evoke the kind of Afro-futurist vibe of the Black Panther comics and films, and there’s a mixture of character illustrations and stunning food photography to accompany the recipes. Even on those pages where there aren’t any actual pictures, the colorful page borders and layouts of the anecdotes and recipes are very pleasing to the eye. It’s a cookbook that’s easy to follow, yes, but also one that is easy to read, which is an important distinction.
Most of the dishes have ingredients that are relatively easy to obtain, and some can be made with items you likely already have in your pantry. You can have fried plantains or harissa-spiced popcorn, or something a little more off the beaten path like sweet potato granola or pumpkin and cassava leaf soup. None of the dishes sound the least bit unappealing, with each recipe looking as hearty as it is healthy. And not to knock this particular practice, but I really love how we don’t have dishes like “Okoye’s Asparagus Spears” or “M’Baku’s Mountain Trout.” These aren’t dishes with a character’s name slapped on them for branding purposes, but foods that seem like they would really be a part of an actual Wakandan cookbook.
I personally tried a few of the recipes: the avocado smoothie and the dried fruits and rice, as well as the harissa spice mix to make the harissa popcorn. They were both absolutely incredible, with easy to follow instructions and relatively simple prep. The smoothie was incredibly rich and creamy, with a nice hint of citrus from the limes and good body from the avocados and bananas. None of the ingredients overpowered any of the others either, so it was rich, well-rounded, and filling in equal measure.
The dried fruits and rice were just as amazing, with a nice mix of savory spices and a hint of sweetness from the chunks of pineapple, mango, and papaya. We prepared some simple shredded pork to add some protein, and it ended up being one of the best meals I’ve had in a long, long time.
With a lot of individual components, the harissa spice mixture was relatively easy to make for something with such complex depths of flavor. It’s very aromatic, with the cumin in particular being quite forward, yet when added to the popcorn it wasn’t at all overpowering. Working in tandem with the coconut oil used in popping the popcorn, the harissa spice mixture made this relatively common snack seem new, thanks to balanced flavors from herbs and spices like mint, garlic, and fennel.
As a nice send-off in the conclusion, Chikondi reminds us that “Wakanda lives within us all,” which adds to the personal and personable feel of the presentation.
Black Panther: The Official Wakanda Cookbook retails for $29.99 and can be purchased through online stores or your local comic shop. The Marvel branding makes it ideal for comic fans, but with recipes that are delicious and easy to make, it’s a great cookbook to have on your shelf if you like to eat good food. And really, who doesn’t?
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