The Pac-Man cookbook may become my most beloved cookbook yet

When I’m not writing or gaming, there’s nothing I love more than getting in the kitchen and cooking up some wholesome and delicious meals for myself and my family. I’m a bit of a nerd, so there’s nothing that appeals to me more than a cookbook based on a beloved game, but when I heard about the Pac-Man Cookbook, I had a few questions. 

While based on pizza, Pac-Man doesn’t seem like the type to have a refined palate. He’s a circular little dude who gobbles down white dots, occasionally some fruit if he’s feeling fancy, and switches between running away and running towards ghosts. It doesn’t scream ‘there’s potential for some recipes here’, but I have to admit, I was intrigued. So I got the book. 

Why? Because I already have a collection of gaming cookbooks, and this one needed to be added, even if it just sat there looking pretty. As it turns out, it might actually get the most use of all of them.

Family-friendly recipes are an absolute must

I have a lot of gaming cookbooks. From Final Fantasy XIV to Skyrim to Stardew Valley, the shelf in my kitchen is heavy with cooking potential. While they’re all filled with recipes that look delicious and make my stomach rumble if I so much as look at them, they also share another common trait: the recipes are expensive, and not exactly the type of food my fussy four-year-old is likely to chow down on, which is a concern when it comes to cooking in my house. 

As any parent will agree, kids’ palates are more attuned to chicken nuggets and fries than the high-brow fare on offer in most gaming cookbooks. My daughter’s not likely to come home from school and ask me for the Argonian Swamp Shrimp Boil from the Skyrim cookbook, and she won’t even touch a regular salad, let alone the complicated Steppe Salad from the FFXIV cookbook. But the Pac-Man cookbook offers something she does enjoy: simple, kid-friendly food. 

There are burgers, which are admittedly hit and miss on my daughter’s part depending on her level of fussiness on a given day, but, as a fully grown adult (in age only, I fear), I can attest that they taste as good as they look on paper. There are various pizzas, which are always a hit regardless of who you’re serving, and many other simple, easy-to-make recipes that won’t break the bank or have you hunting through specialty food stores for the ingredients. 

Not everything is immediately obvious as a Pac-Man reference

Before I cracked the spine of my Pac-Man cookbook, I had to wonder how someone could create an entire, surprisingly chunky cookbook from the basis of this 2D maze crawler. However, I was pleasantly surprised, and more than a little amused, at what I found inside. 

There are, as you might expect, a large number of circular food items with a segment removed to turn them into Pac-Man himself, which fits with the theme and history of the game. From pizza to cheesecake, mac and cheese with Pac-Man-shaped tomato slices on top, and various other almost completely round treats.

Various color-specific recipes represent each of the ghosts, such as Blinky’s Tenacious Tomato Soup, which sees Blinky’s eyes made using croutons and black olives. Pinky’s Ghost Mochi, which is garishly pink and impossibly fun to both make and eat. There are even some particularly bright Floating Ghost Eyes Egg Bites, which are essentially just deviled eggs with the yolks dyed blue, but somehow it just works. 

And, of course, there are the recipes that are a little nonsensical and clearly named just to fit in with the theme. They exist in every gaming cookbook, and this one is certainly no different. Pac-Man’s Pull Away Cheese Bread is a personal favorite in this category. But do you know what? It doesn’t matter because the food is delicious and easy to make. So what if you never saw a bowl of ramen in the maze? The version included in the Pac-Man cookbook is to die for. 

Knowledge and accessibility for all

As soon as you open up the Pac-Man cookbook and dive in, you’ll be treated to a concise history of Pac-Man and how it relates to cooking. If you read the introduction (which you should), you’ll discover that a cookbook containing various pizza recipes is not a surprising move. Pac-Man was originally inspired and based on a pizza sans a single slice, after all. 

Don’t worry if you have specific dietary requirements or a skill level issue, either. Every recipe within the Pac-Man cookbook comes with a rating to let you know how easy it is to cook (Beginner, mid-level, and pro), and they’re also labeled to indicate which are vegan-friendly, gluten-free, or dairy-free. Plus, even if they’re not labeled as such, you can substitute suitable ingredients to make them work for you. 

If you’re a nerd like me and enjoy combining your cooking skills with your gaming experiences, then the Pac-Man cookbook is definitely worth adding to your collection, but don’t expect to use the recipes within if you’re hosting a fancy dinner party. They’re more suitable for casual gaming sessions, kids’ parties, or if you want something fun to look at before you digest it, but that’s not bad.