From Snow White’s cake to Homer Simpson’s donuts

Delicacies have accompanied cartoons since their kick-off. It all began with a cake, the cake SnowWhite (1938) makes for the seven dwarfs. The apple pie (or American pie) is a great classic of the Anglo-Saxon cuisine and easily replicable, birds apart. Not long after Snow White, Donald Duck has to protect his breakfast, made of pancakes sprinkled with maple syrup, from Chip and Dale the chipmunks.

On the other hand, Roger Rabbit finds himself forced by the script to chase a newborn who is looking for cookies all around the kitchen. “Cookie!” it has thus become one of the cult scenes of the film. Another newborn, a different biscuit also in TheIncredibles but always a first-rate treat.

If Merlin offers tea to Wart/Arthur in The Sword in the stone, Alice in Wonderland eats the White Rabbit’s frosted biscuits, while the scent of caramelized apples makes us fly to Mary Poppins. Winnie the Pooh accompanies himself always with a jar of honey and the Minions are crazy about bananas.

Homer Simpson’s mouth waters at the thought of donuts. Represented in many American films, for the first time here, they are offered in cartoon flavour: their appeal is beyond question.

The East between manga and Kung Fu Panda

With the arrival in Europe of the first Japanese manga (and related cartoons), we get to know the Eastern cuisine, an unexplored universe. We discover it through the masterpieces of the remarkable Miyazaki and in many other celebrated cartoons. The bento (a lunch box made of several compartments) thus makes its entrance into our homes.Doraemon is greedy for dorayaki, pancakes stuffed with anko (a red bean jam).

With the arrival in Europe of the first Japanese manga (and related cartoons), we get to know the Eastern cuisine, an unexplored universe. We discover it through the masterpieces of the remarkable Miyazaki and in many other celebrated cartoons. The bento (a lunch box made of several compartments) thus makes its entrance into our homes.Doraemon is greedy for dorayaki, pancakes stuffed with anko (a red bean jam).

Thanks to spaghetti…

The love between Lady and the Tramp blossoms around a plate of spaghetti covered with meatballs and sauce. A simple dish of a classic Disney cartoon could become an excellent idea for a romantic dinner, not only for the two dogs.

Everyone knows that Popeye’s strength comes from spinach and that his friend Wimpy is always ready to bite into a succulent sandwich. However, if the picnic baskets accompanied us in all of Yogi and Boo Boo bear cartoons, prehistoric cuisine and its unlikely recipes characterize The Flintstones, just as similarly improbable recipes bring us to the world of The Jetsons or Futurama. Countless dishes appear in front of us in Beauty and the Beast, from soufflés to finger food tastings, a delight for the eyes and the palate.

Heidi pleases us with cheese fondue and the Ninja Turtles feed on pizza. Spinach flans are served in The Emperor’s New Groove, while the protagonist of The Princess and the Frog dreams of opening a restaurant of its own, full of cream puffs and okra, and Coco wins our hearts with his magical tamales. We can find burgers of all shapes and sizes in many cartoons, from Sponge Bob to The Simpsons.

Everybody can cook

A cartoon has designated food as its protagonist: Ratatouille. Remy, a mouse with a refined taste, has the great dream of always experimenting with new flavours and cooking dishes capable of conquering even the most ferocious food critics. The kitchen is for everyone. If a mouse can create culinary masterpieces, everyone in the kitchen is free and without any social label. The role we play in society becomes of no importance. Ratatouille is a simple dish everyone can appreciate. We should give space to the amazement and remove prejudices so to open up to incredible culinary experiences.

Freud wrote that the relationship that man establishes with food is based not only on the need to feed himself but also on the need to be nourished by the desire of those who donate food. Food speaks of love, even in cartoons.

ILARIA PERSELLO