The cookbook for Stardew Valley evokes the comfort of spending time with the game’s charming characters

30 Apr at 16:00

More than a month has passed since developer Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone released the big 1.6 update for Stardew Valley, but the fun isn’t over yet. Barone teamed up with writer Ryan Novak to craft the Official Stardew Valley Cookbook. Publisher Random House Worlds will launch the book on May 14. You can already pre-order it from online retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org.

This book contains 50 recipes, and, true to Stardew Valley’s emphasis on harvesting seasonal ingredients, these scrumptious selections are divided into seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter). Each recipe is inspired by food found in the game and is complemented with original art and photography of the dishes. The best part? Fans of the game will enjoy how the book ties together the food with the memorable characters of Stardew Valley.

Each recipe tells you which character the recipe belongs to, and the book’s margins are lined with adorable notes from the cast of the game. For example, the crab cake recipe has a note from Elliot that comments on how he “cannot help but partake of their sweet meats when formed into cakes and drizzled with lemon.” It’s a small but cute detail, since fans of Elliot may already know that he loves to receive crab cakes as a gift in the game.

Image: ConcernedApe and Ryan Novak/Random House Worlds
Image: ConcernedApe and Ryan Novak/Random House Worlds
Image: ConcernedApe and Ryan Novak/Random House Worlds
Image: ConcernedApe and Ryan Novak/Random House Worlds
Image: ConcernedApe and Ryan Novak/Random House Worlds
Image: ConcernedApe and Ryan Novak/Random House Worlds
Image: ConcernedApe and Ryan Novak/Random House Worlds
Image: ConcernedApe and Ryan Novak/Random House Worlds

A major part of playing Stardew Valley entails growing fresh ingredients, then cooking them to create tasty, regenerative meals. That said, the game’s rudimentary recipes have been reimagined to reflect the fact that they’re more complex to make in real life. For example, while baking a Pink Cake in the game only requires four ingredients (melon, wheat flour, sugar, and an egg), the book supplies a recipe for a delicious-looking watermelon strawberry jam.

There are other clever recipe adaptations in this cookbook. One that stuck out to me was the Lucky Lunch. The dish requires sea cucumber in the game, but the cookbook version of that dish turns it into shrimp ceviche on a bed of greens with a star-shaped tortilla to top it off. Safe to say, I don’t think my local grocery stores carry fleshy sea slugs, so I welcome the change to shrimp.

I’ve reported on how Stardew Valley has inspired people to start gardens of their own. Some folks might not be into picking up farming as a hobby, but maybe now with the The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook, you might want to get crackin’ in the kitchen instead. If nothing else, this book is a unique way to let fans of the game spend a little bit more time with their favorite characters.