Life Day is here again, and while we can always revisit the infamous made-for-TV Star Wars Holiday Special that gave birth to the fictional holiday, this year we can also eat like we’re Wookiees on Kashyyyk thanks to the new Star Wars: The Life Day Cookbook from Insight Editions.
This hardcover tome contains recipes for delicious-looking appetizers, snacks, side dishes, main courses, desserts, and drinks inspired by A Galaxy Far, Far Away, and even features some special instructions on how to celebrate Life Day in your own home.
Written from the perspective of the Artiodac Chef Strono “Cookie” Tuggs (first seen in the movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens and later an off-stage presence as the in-universe cook at Disney Parks’ Star Wars: Galaxy Edge themed lands), Star Wars: The Life Day Cookbook is a follow-up to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – The Official Black Spire Outpost Cookbook from 2019. Real-world authors Jenn Fujikawa (The I Love Lucy Cookbook – Classic Recipes Inspired by the Iconic TV Show) and Marc Sumerak (Star Wars: The Secrets of the Sith) have assembled a collection of delectable delights sure to please any kitchen-competent fan of the George Lucas-created space-opera saga, and especially those with fond memories of the beyond-campy Holiday Special. The first thing I did when I received my copy of The Life Day Cookbook was flip to the table of contents to see if it incorporated recipes for Wookiee-Ookiees and Bantha Surprise (as references to dialogue delivered by actor/comedians Art Carney and Harvey Korman during the above-mentioned 1978 debacle), and thankfully I was not disappointed. And yes, Gormaanda does get a name-check here, which I’m pretty sure confirms her existence in the current Star Wars canon (though double-checking Wookieepedia, she’s been referenced a couple times before here and there).
Now, while I’m not terribly adept around a stove or mixing bowl, so many of these recipes– like Spiced Bogwings, Gloomroot Pancakes, and Engine Roasted Tip-Yip look tasty, not to mention straightforward, enough for me to give them a try. For the more complicated-seeming concoctions like Roasted Rootleaf or Kublag Curry, I may enlist my wife’s help, but it would sure be fun to try making these menu items together! More accessible to us might be the craftier section of the book, which provides step-by-step instructions on how to create Life Day Orbs, Robes, Ornaments, and even a Kashyyykian Tree of Life. In the very back of the book, I was thrilled to find a dietary guide for those like myself with food restrictions, and the measurement conversion charts will be helpful to those who use different systems for portioning out ingredients. Colorful, attractive photos are partnered with a significant amount of the recipes and fun, appealing illustrations at the beginning of the book showcase what Life Day celebrations look like on both the Wookiee home planet and Batuu. Speaking of which, though we got some specialty food and merchandise in the parks for the holiday this year, it would be really great to see some simple Life Day decorations and lights pop up in Black Spire Outpost every 17th of November. Until then, it’s nice to know that Star Wars fans can follow the directions in this cookbook, sit back, relax, enjoy the food they’ve prepared themselves, and watch Chewbacca’s family growl indecipherably for 98 minutes.
Star Wars: The Life Day Cookbook is available now wherever books are sold.