Magic in Food

I'll come out and say that I love Cunningham's books (I've reviewed many of his other books) and this is no exception. I've always been into cooking, and this IS the book to have for the Kitchen Witch, with the magical properties of foods, spices, recipes and much more. This was the prior edition of his book "Wicca in the Kitchen", but I went with this one because it was cheaper (hey, I'm a witch on a budget) and I really like it.

...Once again Scott compiled a fine work that covered all areas. Covers things such as: Ritual of Eating, Food Magic, & Festival Foods. Covers food then in catagories: Breads/grains, Cakes, veggies, fruits, herbs/spices, dairy, etc...etc...in these sections each item is descibed, the lore is given, magical uses, ruling planet and element, and the energies (eg. peace, healing, love etc...) Then there is over 60 pages of magickal diets. (love, protection, money, sex, etc..) Wonderful useful tables and mail order sources lastly. This book couldn't get anymore useful! I keep mine right with my cookbooks in my kitchen, like a good kitchen witch!

This book is about as complete as you could get, aside from the exclusion of meat... His explanations are valid however, that red meat hinders psychic development, and many magicians are vegetarians as it is. Aside from that, the book is VERY comprehensive and I have not found much if anything that appears to have been overlooked. Scott begins the book with an overview of the magick in food, and how to harness it. He then divides the next part of the book into chapters for each separate food "group", such as: fruit, breads and grains, alcohol, eggs, spices and herbs, etc. The history of each food is given, such as where it was discovered, and what peoples ate it the most. Under each section specific foods are given, such as barley and rye in the bread section. Each listing gives the planet, element, energies, lore, and magickal uses. The information is practical and useful, just like the rest of his books. Part III details magickal diets, such as love, money, spirituality, weight loss, and peace and awareness. Here Cunningham gives a listing of foods pertaining to each magickal goal and suggestions on serving each. Finally, even junk food and fast food is covered, for those of us who can't live without it. A table of correspondence and a glossary round out this wonderful, well-written book. I wholeheartedly suggest trying to find a copy because I guarantee it: if you eat, you'll find use in this book. Bright blessings.

As with most of Scott Cunningham's work, this book is an excellent reference source for information about food and magic. The phrase "kitchen witch" has come into vogue over the past few years but Scott Cunningham was one of the first to make this subject accessible and interesting to a variety of readers. He compiled information from a variety of books (each listed in his annotated bibliography) and created and very useful and informative book. A must have for any true "kitchen witch"