Here's What Lembas Bread From Lord Of The Rings Would Really Taste Like
If you are a fan of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, then you may have a fascination with lembas or waybread — the Elven biscuit wrapped in leaves and given to the members of the fellowship to sustain and nourish the travelers as they journeyed to Mordor to destroy the one ring that basically caused a lot of problems.
In the book "The Fellowship of the Ring," the elves say of this mythical bread, "Eat little at a time, and only at need. For these things are given to serve you when all else fails. The cakes will keep sweet for many many days, if they are unbroken and left in their leaf-wrappings, as we have brought them. One will keep a traveler on his feet for a day of long labour, even if he be one of the tall men of Minas Tirith."
It sounds magical, right? But have you ever wondered what lembas might taste like? Well, you are not alone. According to the blogger at Tea with Tolkien, there is no recipe for this sweet sounding sustenance; however, J.R. Tolkien has provided plenty of clues to help readers and their taste buds get a rough idea. As the elves describe it, lembas is a sweet cake. The text of the book goes on to say, "The food was mostly in the form of very thin cakes, made of a meal that was baked a light brown on the outside, and inside was the colour of cream."
Hardtack biscuit may have been J.R. Tolkien's muse
The Tea with Tolkien blogger also notes that there has to be a nutty component to lembas because it also contains fruit of the Mallorn tree, which she describes as, "a round nut with a silver shale." It almost sounds like a biscotti, in our opinion, but according to LOTR.fandom.com, Tolkien most likely based lembas on what is known as a hardtack biscuit or survival bread.
Per An Off the Grid Life, this dense and crispy biscuit was used by both settlers and sailors making long journeys and is comprised of flour, water, and salt. Still, LOTR.fandom.com also conjectures that the inspiration for this Elven bread might also be traced to a German physician named Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, who wrote about an herb that could sustain a man for 12 days, no bread or water needed. So many theories!
But if you want to try your hand at making lembas yourself, Tea with Tolkien made a version that looks and sounds like a crispy biscuit. She used almonds, citrus, and lavender to create the sweetness and it does sound perfect for a second breakfast. Still, another blogger at Wasted Lands Fantasy went with walnuts as his nut of choice and used apples to create his sweet version of this bread. He notes that your lembas should be rectangular in shape, healthy, and hearty.