Avatar is a series that besides showing us a lot of action in the domain of the four elements also explores different cultures through their kingdoms and nations, which is why Nickelodeon will seek to show this universe nutrition with the help of a cookbook.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Cookbook: Official Recipes from the Four Nations is a compilation that plans to be published in August 2021. Yes, it’s quite a wait, but during this time author Jenny Dorsey will seek the support of writers, creators, fans, and renowned chefs from around the world to prepare the dishes that exist in the series.
“From the shores of Kyoshi Island to the crowded streets of Ba Sing Se, this official cookbook collects signature dishes from all four nations, like vegetarian plates of the Air Nomads, fiery entrees from the Fire Nation, seafood from the North and South Poles, and delectable cuisine from the Earth Kingdom”
Avatar Nutrition
Thinking carefully there is a rich variety of foods that appear within the series; the plum soup of the water tribe, the fruit cakes of the air nomads, Uncle Iroh’s classic Jasmine tea, and more, so there is enough material to compile these dishes into a cookbook.
Jenny Dorsey, the author, is a professional chef, food writer, speaker, and social entrepreneur based in Los Angeles. On her website, she describes herself using food to express the full range of human emotions and social commentary on the world around us.
She believes that food has a special way of exposing the banal routine and social norms in which we find ourselves. It can be a powerful medium for storytelling and create a place for genuine interaction. Based on this self-description, we are confident that Avatar’s nutritional cookbook is in good hands.
Although the book has not yet been published we can take a look at the table of contents with the dishes it introduces us to:
| Fire Nation | Air Nomads | Northern and Southern Water Tribes | Earth Kingdom |
| Appetizers: | |||
| Flaming Fire Flakes Festival Turkey Leg Pork and Cabbage Gyoza | Appa’s Sky Bison Bites Tsampa Four Elements Vegetable Salad | Seaweed Salad Bannock Bread | Aunt Wu’s Bean Curd Puffs Earth Kingdom Nángbing Dai Li Zongzi |
| Mains: | |||
| Komodo Chicken Fire Noodles Roku’s Dragon Roll | Thenthuk Noodle Soup Dal Bhat Potato Curry | Kya’s Traditional Sea Prune Stew Steamed Halibut Hakoda’s Roasted Arctic Hen | Bumi’s Possum Chicken Roast Duck Toph’s Crispy Fish Filet |
| Sides: | |||
| Ozai’s Agedashi Tofu Honorable Onigiri Firelord’s Spicy Miso Soup | Sweet Buns Coconut Cilantro Chutney Momo’s momos | Katara’s Arctic Char Sashimi Southern Tribe Noodles | Cabbage Merchant Cabbage Ba Sing Se Pork Buns Omashu Sliders |
| Desserts: | |||
| Dancing Dragons Two-Headed Taiyaki Zuko’s Zenzai | Monk Gyatso’s Plum Pie Aang’s Egg Custard Tart Moon Peach Crisp | Tui and La Spirit Cake Kale Cookies Gran-Gran’s Akutaq | Kyoshi Island Wagashi Unfried Cookie Dough Creeping Crystal Rock Candy |
| Drinks: | |||
| The Blue Spirit Sozin’s Comet Agni Kai | “Onion” and Banana Juice Pearl Butter Tea The Avatar State Four Elements | Ocean Kumquat Smoothie Spirit Oasis Tonic The Waterbender | Cactus Juice The Jasmine Dragon Tea Sampler White Lotus Tea |
You can preorder the book for Avatar Nutrition here
Avatar Nutrition Details Laid Out
As we know ATLA, takes place in a world of four nations: The Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads, which are based on Inuit, Chinese, Japanese, and Tibetan cultures respectively. Avatar’s worldbuilding takes influences from many places to build its narrative. The reason why it is not surprising we can see so many dishes along with the series.
In the case of the Inuit, they consume a diet consisting of foods that are fished, hunted, and gathered locally. This may include walrus, ringed seal, baleen seal, beluga whale, caribou, polar bear, ox, birds (including their eggs), and fish. While it is not possible to grow native plants for food in the Arctic, Inuit have traditionally gathered those that are naturally available. The people of the Water Tribe draw most of their food sources from the ocean. Meat generally plays an important role in many Water Tribe dishes.
The gastronomy of China is one of the richest due to the ancient culinary tradition of the country. In Chinese culture, every meal has to harmonize flavors, as well as to seek a balance between hot and cold, colors, and consistency of the various foods. This is why Chinese culinary techniques are numerous and particularly varied. People in the Earth Kingdom grow and eat a wide variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, and rice; meat and poultry from wild game and farms are also common
There are many opinions about what is fundamental to Japanese cuisine. Many think that sushi or the stylized elegant meals of formal kaiseki originated as part of the Japanese tea ceremony. In the show, the defining characteristic of Fire Nation cuisine is its spicy nature, and Fire Nation citizens are known to put spices into many of their delicacies and treats. The Fire Nation uses a wide variety of grains, meats, and vegetables in cooking. However, as Zuko said during the series it’s pretty similar to earth kingdom’s cuisine.
The cuisine of Tibet is characterized by the harsh environmental conditions that mark the high altitudes of Tibet (over 4500 meters above sea level), which makes the ingredients of their dishes have a high energy content, as well as abundant protein intake, including cereals, meats, and spices.
The most defining characteristic of air nomads’ cuisine was strict vegetarianism, and they were also known for their sweets, such as fruit pies and custard tarts. We could see during the show how their vegetarianism is troublesome for them when they are traveling around the world and not depending on their crops to feed on.
In The Legend of Korra we can take a look at Republic City’s commercially prepared foods, such as instant noodles and snack cakes, with the majority of its gourmet cuisine being imported from the other nations as a result from being a space for the four cultures to meet and transform.
We are excited to see avatar nutrition dishes come to reality in this book soon to be published. Let us know Which dish from Avatar: The Legend of Aang would you like to try? Which of the above is your favorite gastronomy? Is there a specific dish from the book that you intend to cook?