Dungeon Meshi Food: Anime vs. Reality Versions!

Dungeon Meshi is the perfect union between a culinary anime and fantasy. Okay, there is an argument that, despite this being the way the story is told to us, the true theme of the manga is the family relationships we have along with the small moments of peace and togetherness that arise when eating.

However, unlike usual, today we will not try to analyze the narrative or the characters. Instead, we will focus on a simpler aspect: comparing the fantastic dishes of Dungeon Meshi with their real-life counterparts and see if they are as appetizing. After all, it is in the name of the anime: “Delicious Dungeon”!

Many of the dishes chosen by us are not perfect comparisons. After all, most of the ingredients used in the anime do not exist in our world. At least, we believe they do not. Therefore, some approximations were necessary to make the comparisons.

Along with the comparisons, we've also included the original recipes. So, if anyone feels like trying their hand at cooking or happens to come across a Basilisk, they can try to recreate these delicacies.

Giant Scorpion and Walking Mushroom Stew

Description: A warm and nutritious dish created by Senshi the first time he met the Laios adventurers, made with ingredients found on the first floor of the dungeon. Scorpion, mushrooms, seaweed, tubers, and dried slime noodles are all boiled together in water, creating a light soup.

Ingredients:

Giant Scorpion (1)

Walking Mushroom (1)

Mushroom Stems (2)

Seaweed (arctic moss, star jelly) (as needed)

Small Potatoes (about 5 medium-sized)

Dried Slime (to taste)

Water (as needed)

This fictional dish is based on a lobster stew, due to the similarity between the scorpion, a large arthropod, and the lobster. The description mentions the use of several ingredients cooked together, creating a light soup, which aligns perfectly with the texture and complexity of flavors found in a seafood stew.

So the comparison with lobster stew seems quite appropriate.

Man-Eating Plant Tart

Description: A tart created by Senshi from the fruit of various Man-Eating Plants. Described as savory by the group, it is likely more like a quiche, but with an inedible crust. A mixture of crushed and chopped Man-Eating Plant fruit, slime, and scorpion soup is poured into a pot lined with the fruit's skin and cooked before being garnished with more fruit.

Ingredients:

Leftover scorpion broth (from lunch; 200 ml)

Slime jelly (80 grams)

Baraselia (3 medium-sized)

Meeroak (5 or 6 medium-sized)

Betan (3 medium-sized)

Salt (to taste)

Pepper (a little)

This dish is compared to a pepper pie, since the anime itself makes this reference. The description mentions a savory pie, with a texture probably similar to that of a quiche. The presence of a savory filling wrapped in a crust is very reminiscent of the quiches we know, which makes the comparison quite obvious at first glance.

PS: Cherry tomatoes can be used instead of peppers

Basilisk Omelette with Mandrake

Description: A dish created by Senshi, consisting of a fluffy basilisk egg omelette, stuffed with chopped basilisk bacon and mandrake. If the mandrake used was killed with its 'head' still attached, it will be less bitter and milder.

Ingredients:

Mandrake (1 medium-sized)

Basilisk Bacon (use the fattiest cuts) (50 grams)

Basilisk Egg (1)

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Ketchup (to taste)

We chose Omurice as a comparison because of the similarity in presentation and because both are omelets. The description highlights the fluffy texture of the omelet and the tasty filling, which are also characteristics present in Omurice, making this comparison quite appropriate. The only thing missing is the medieval ketchup. Maybe in the second season?

Mandrake Kakiage & Giant Bat Tempura

Description: A dish prepared by Senshi in collaboration with Chilchuck, using Senshi's culinary skills and Chilchuck's skill with traps. Grated mandrake and marinated bat breast are coated in batter and fried in olive oil, tempura style.

Ingredients:

Mandrake (3 medium-sized)

Large Bat Breast (400 grams)

Basilisk Egg (1)

Weak Flour (150 grams)

Water (170 cc)

Soy Sauce (1 tablespoon)

Sake (1 tablespoon)

Salt (a pinch)

Garlic and Ginger (to taste)

The description of this dish highlights the process of breading and frying, very similar to the preparation of vegetable and meat tempura that we know. This similarity in the preparation method and the final texture makes the comparison with kakiage and tempura quite easy to make.

Cooked Mimic

Description: A simple dish prepared by Senshi from the cabinet mimic that attacked Chilchuck. It is prepared by boiling only the mimic and salt, and is eaten in a manner similar to other shellfish, using thin tools to scoop out the chewy, flavorful meat.

Ingredients:

Mimic Upper Body (1)

Claws (1 pair)

Legs (4)

Salt (lots)

Luckily, this dish doesn't use a human mimic, but rather a monster. It was easy to compare, since they appear to be some form of enormous crustacean. We chose the king crab as our equivalent.

Porridge Made from Found Grains

Description: A dish made by Laios to save the barley dropped by Kabru's group upon their death on the fourth floor. It is a type of porridge, made by boiling barley with mimic pieces and seagrass. If you include the seagrass from the merfolk's heads, be prepared to confront the morality of eating demihumans, as their roe may be trapped in the leaves.

Ingredients:

Barley (200 grams)

Water (1000 ml)

Salt (to taste)

Kelpie meat (1 leg)

Seagrass (as much as desired)

The description highlights the use of barley and kelpie meat, which is very reminiscent of the process of preparing a seafood porridge. Although kelpie meat may seem similar to beef, the presence of kelpie and the marine nature of the ingredients, such as the roe, justify the comparison to a seafood porridge, bringing an interesting balance between the terrestrial and marine flavors.

Tentacle and Kelpie Stew, Prepared with Undine

Description: A dish filled with magical energy, prepared by Senshi and Marcille to replenish Marcille's magic in a more palatable form. Potatoes, carrots, onions, tentacles, and seasoned pieces of Kelpie shank are cut into small pieces and fried, then cooked together in an Undine.

Ingredients:

Undine (2 L)

1 Kelpie Leg (1)

Tentacles (about 1 meter)

Onion (2)

Carrot (2)

Dark sauce (to taste)

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Here we have a bit of a controversy. We compared porridge to seafood earlier, and here we use a beef stew. The description of this dish highlights the combination of potatoes, carrots, onions, and meat cooked together, something very similar to what we find in traditional beef stews. Furthermore, the presence of a dark sauce further reinforces the familiarity with the robust stews we are familiar with, which makes this comparison even more appropriate. Therefore, due to the lack of roe in this dish and its extremely similar appearance to a beef stew, we chose this one as a parallel.

There is no doubt that the dishes in Dungeon Meshi are inspired by real cuisine, and although we cannot confirm exactly where each one came from, we are quite proud of our analysis. We dare say that we were right on most of the comparisons.

But what about you, dear reader? Which dishes do you think these were inspired by? And while reading the manga or watching the anime, which other dishes did you recognize? Leave your opinion in the comments!