Tyneisha Lewis
We all have seen or read about the food shown in popular media such as tv shows, movies, books, and videogames. The food often has a level of detail and description that makes you want to try it and recreate it at home.
Aranea Highwind, also known as "CookingWithIggy," along with others, are fans of the Final Fantasy XV videogame. They created an unofficial Cookbook inspired by the game called, That's It!: The Unofficial FFXV Community Cookbook.
Q: Could you tell us more about the cookbook?
A: That's It! is a fan made compilation of 111 "recipehs" that Ignis Scientia, one of the main characters of Final Fantasy XV, creates during the game's camping/resting scenes. The cookbook contains recipes from over 50 fans all across the world, from Hong Kong to the UK to the Philippines, just to name a few places!
Q: What inspired the Final Fantasy XV cookbook?
A: The food in FFXV is simply gorgeous - definitely the most beautifully and lovingly designed food I've seen in any video game to date. The idea for an actual cookbook full of this deliciously rendered food started as a series of joke-posts on Reddit, but it really picked up steam after I realized that some amazing fans had already been steadily recreating recipes for months!
Q: What was the experience like creating the cookbook?
A: I had an amazing time connecting with and getting to know so many people from all over the world who share my passions for cooking and video games. And since the whole thing actually started as a bit of a lark, it was also quite thrilling to watch it gain popularity in the fandom and receive recognition from various voice actors.
Looking back, the experience was also quite educational. I learned a ton about marketing, design, and communication - skills that have turned out to be quite useful for my career!
Q: Are there any recipes of yours in the book?
A: Yes! I've got a handful in the book. My personal favorite is "Salmon-In-A-Suit," which is essentially salmon onigiri.
Q: What would you like others to know about the Final Fantasy Cookbook?
A: The cookbook is totally free for you to access and download as a PDF, at https://sites.google.com/view/ffxvcookbook/ Porting the recipes into web format has been on my to do list for a while - if you're interested in hearing about that effort when it finishes, feel free to follow the cookbook's Twitter (CookingWithIggy) or Instagram (cookingwithignis) for updates.
Q: Any upcoming or recent recipes?
A: I think we're done for now - 111 is a pretty cool looking number, after all!
Q: Do you have a favorite recipe from the cookbook?
A: As Gladio, another main character from FFXV, would say, Cup Noodles (page 158) are the ultimate flavor experience.
In all seriousness, every time I try out a new recipe from the cookbook, I find myself with a new favorite. All the chefs really put tons of effort into making each recipe tasty! When I am short on time and want to relive some FFXV nostalgia, I do find myself turning to the quick, oven-based recipes most often, such as the Nebula Salmon Teriyaki (by Victoria/Pixelated Provisions), or the Prairie-Style Skewers (by ffxvrecipes).
If you are a fan of The Final Fantasy Videogame series, check out The Final Fantasy XV cookbook. It has a variety of recipes for everyone, with appetizers, entrees, desserts and more. It also contains colorful photography of the recipes.
That's It!: The Unofficial FFXV Community Cookbook- the cookbook created by fans, for fans!
