We have a confession to make. For all our talk of warm-weather eating, we're about to break our cardinal food rule: forget those sunny pastas and springtime veggies — this weekend, we feast like winter is coming. Because if there's any excuse to part with your seasonal sensibility, it's the latest episode of Game of Thrones.
After the Red Wedding last summer, there's no telling what might happen. Invasion from the north? Revenge of the Starks? (Okay, definitely revenge.) Whatever lies ahead, you can't face it on an empty stomach, so we rounded up the essential dishes for a Westeros-worthy feast. From Tyrion's leg of lamb to Cersei's chestnut stew, our menu draws inspiration from across the continent — but in true King's Landing fashion, it is an epic, take-no-prisoners spread. Start with bread and salt for your guests, and then dig in. It's going to be a night to remember.
"When there was a Stark at Winterfell…travelers could find fire, bread, and salt at many an inn and holdfast. But the nights are colder now, and doors are closed." —The Liddle, A Storm of Swords
"The Old Bear was particular about his hot spiced wine. So much cinnamon and so much nutmeg and so much honey, not a drop more. Raisins and nuts and dried berries, but no lemon, that was the rankest sort of southron heresy." —A Clash of Kings
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"Cersei set a tasty table, that could not be denied. They started with a creamy chestnut soup, crusty hot bread, and greens dressed with apples and pine nuts." —A Clash of Kings
"This evening they had supped on oxtail soup [and] summer greens tossed with pecans, grapes, red fennel, and crumbled cheese...Lord Janos allowed that he had never eaten half so well." —A Clash of Kings
"A leg of lamb would be nice…Perhaps a dish of peas and onions, some fresh baked bread with butter, and a flagon of mulled wine to wash it down. Or beer, if that's easier. I try not to be overly particular." —Tyrion, A Game of Thrones
"Sam loved…to play in the castle kitchen beside the cooks, drinking in the rich smells as he snitched lemon cakes and blueberry tarts." —A Game of Thrones
