Though the specifics are debatable, food critics and statisticians have compiled many a list over the years of all the best foods in the world. They include everything from tacos to nasi goreng, and they certainly encompass some major deliciousness.
But what about the best foods from out of this world? And we’re not talking about popcorn from Mars or ice cream from Neptune. We’re talking about the countless candies, drinks, soups, hashes, and pies that can only be found within the pages of a book or seen from the confines of a television screen. They’re magical, they’re fantastical, and they often bring to mind the crazy-zany whims of Dr. Seuss himself.
So that you can better appreciate (and drool over) all of the things that you can never ever have, we’ve provided a convenient list. Evilly tantalizing? Maybe. Awesome in all its glory? Absolutely.
1. Ambrosia
Literally known as the food of the gods, ambrosia is said to be immensely powerful as well as decadently delicious. And everyone from Homer to Rick Riordan can tell you exactly how amazing this stuff is. Ability to transform you into an immortal? Check. Ability to heal even the gravest of injuries? Check.
Oh, and it just happens to be one hundred times more scrumptious than the best thing you’ve ever eaten in your entire life. If ambrosia is on the table, you don’t just hold out a glass. You bring buckets, urns — heck, even bathtubs, if that’s what it takes.
2. Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Room
Okay, okay, so maybe an entire room made of candy doesn’t exactly count as a single food. But can you really blame us for trying to sneak this one in?
Out of all the delicious wonders to be found in Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, the Chocolate Room might be the most tempting: a chocolate river complete with an enormous waterfall, taffy trees, mushrooms made out of whipped cream, jelly apples, bushes that grow lollipops… This is the physical embodiment of a stressed-out college student’s — erm, we mean, child‘s dream.
3. The Weasley’s Skiving Snackboxes
Fever Fudge, Fainting Fancies, Nosebleed Nougat, and Puking Pastilles weren’t the only inventions that Fred and George Weasley whipped up during their time at Hogwarts, but they certainly made an impression during the tyrannical — ahem, ordered — regime of Professor Dolores Umbridge.
These colorful sweets helped droves of Hogwarts students fake the many worrying symptoms of Umbridge-itis, which is why they made our list. Imagine the benefits if they were real… Your roommate just asked you to take out the trash that’s been growing a small colony of flies and mold for the past few weeks? You’d love to, but oh dear, what a swoon… you really must lie down and recover.
4. Mandy the Fairy’s Curing Soup
In Gail Carson Levine’s classic children’s tale Ella Enchanted, Mandy the fairy chef/godmother cooks up a magical stew in order to heal Ella. Made with carrots, leeks, celery, and hairs from a unicorn’s tail, this soup may not count as one of the most appetizing dishes of all time.
But we’re still including it because, well, who wouldn’t want to be able to instantly cure their illnesses? Plus, unicorns. Unicorns all the way.
5. Glen McKenna Scotch
It’s rich, it’s chocolatey, it’s slightly smokey and has a seductive hint of aged cedar… and it’s also completely fake. Whiskey enthusiasts have known for years that How I Met Your Mother‘s most famous scotch isn’t actually a real brand, but this might be the *glass shattering* moment for a lot of other fans out there. Apologies, fellow HIMYM aficionados, and our most sincere condolence high-fives.
6. Sam and Frodo’s Lembas
Lembas, also known as Elven bread or Waybread, was vital to the success of the Fellowship in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy; Sam and Frodo subsisted on it almost exclusively during their epic trip to Mount Doom. They grew rather tired of it after a while, but we still consider this to be one of the more awesome fictional foods out there.
Not only are they nutritious and incredibly long-lasting, but these little golden cakes are (like most Elven products) offensive to those corrupted by evil. How cool would it be to offer a piece to someone and find out then and there if they were totally lost to the dark side or just rocking the whole bad boy/girl thing?
7. Remy’s Ratatouille
Remy’s ratatouille may be simple, but it also instantly evokes home, happiness, love… it’s basically everything you were looking for in food form. Sure, you can find normal ratatouille in almost every French restaurant out there, but Remy’s is different.
Remy’s famous dish still warrants a place on our list of epic fictional foods because it’s not just food — it’s got hope, determination, a-plucky-rat’s-dreams-come-true, and the power to turn Anton Ego into a cuddly teddy bear baked in with all those tomatoes and zucchinis. And that’s just downright magical.