| This month’s foodie fiction puzzle features a dish with such a storied history that it appears in both classical and contemporary literature. Shakespeare wrote of it as so delectable one would spend their last penny on it. The Brothers Grimm described it in one of their fairy tales. It makes an appearance in "Mary Poppins" and "The Canterbury Tales." This food also shows up in folklore and fables from around the world and in a modern novel about a mother and daughter who concoct a kind of magical version of this food and send it off to distant lands. The author describes it as “not humble” but like “noshing on the actual and anatomical heart of someone who scarred your beloved and thought they’d got away with it.” Yes, you heard that right! The ancient Greeks made a version of this dish and used it for ceremonial purposes. Allusions to it have turned up in Egyptian writings. Europeans first tasted it when the crusaders returned from their Middle East marauding and brought back the key ingredient. Sometimes it was thought to be medicinal. It was made for kings, queens and paupers. In fact, one queen is said to have been so entranced by it that she had a cook who did nothing but make this dish and she would startle visiting ambassadors with gifts of it. Inventive cooks have shaped it into animals and symbols that were both religious or playful and are still experimenting with secret ingredients. Some people eat it plain. Others slather it with butter or melted sugar. Here are some of the things you’ll need once you figure out what this foodie fiction challenge is: Peppercorns, cloves, eggs, flour, sugar, cream and cinnamon. So, can you guess what this food is? And if you can, perhaps you’ll share your own recipe for it via Twitter at @KerriMPR.
— Kerri Miller | MPR News | 