We all have favorite food’s right? Favorite sweets, favorite snacks, favorite entrees….it’s a big list if we really sit and think about it. Smell and taste are so important to us even if we don’t realize it. If this is important for us, they should be important to our characters too! There are dozens of cozy mysteries out there about food. Who wouldn’t want to read a book with a cover emblazoned with a giant cinnamon roll?
I’ve already written about smells and how they affect our memory. They take us right back to that special moment with family or the first date you went on. Taste goes right along with that! First, let’s take a look at some of the foods that have strong flavors and evoke some different feelings.
Bread is a common food that comes in many different flavors. Bread is a part of life that has been a staple in our diet since the beginning of time. Fresh bread out of the oven not only smells incredible, but it tastes fantastic. Whether its gooey cinnamon rolls or a regular loaf you can taste the yeast and other ingredients. Each type of bread has its own consistency, whether flaky or porous. Almost all bread can be enjoyed with a dab of butter and perhaps a bit of jam. The sweet yeasty bread pairs well with the mildly salty and fatty butter. The texture of the smooth, creamy butter also goes well with the flaky or possibly grainy texture of the bread. Anyone hungry yet?
Let’s try something different now, BACON. I know there are many bacon lovers out there like me. It’s a delicious food! Bacon has so many great aspects for a writer. When you cook bacon it sizzles, pops, is greasy and makes a mess. You can almost write an entire chapter just about your character cooking bacon! To top it all, bacon smells AMAZING! It’s a scent that permeates the house or the air if you’re cooking outdoors. Bacon has a unique taste. It can be either very crispy or softer and melt in your mouth. The fat is what makes the flavor so great. Thick bacon is the best in case your wondering, more texture, more flavor! This is a great detail for you authors.
Now that everyone is starving, I want you to add this to your story! Put food in your stories. It makes your characters relatable. Add all of your favorite foods, but make sure they are realistic for the time period and genre you are writing for. As much as we might love something like smoothies, they didn’t have them in the middle ages, but a good cup of wine could be used instead!
Hope this was helpful for you writers out there. Details are so important! Keep using your brain to add little things that you notice around you.