Gourmet Smash Ultimate is an ambitious project which celebrates video game characters through the medium of food. The goal: create a unique recipe inspired by each and every playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! Nintendo’s all-star platform fighter has a formidable cast of characters representing a diversity of eras, genres, and game developers. This makes it the perfect series for a project such as this. With over 80 playable characters to inspire dishes, this game offers the opportunity to craft a truly extensive menu of delicious and creative recipes.

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            I’m a video game enthusiast whose main passion is music – I’ve been composing music for games and creating covers of video game songs for four years now (“pixeltea” on YouTube, @superpixeltea on Twitter). It’s been great to have a hobby that brings together my passion for music and for gaming, but I’ve recently wanted to branch out. If you’ve been following me for my music, what you might not know is that I also really love to cook! Yet, I’ve never really attempted to combine my passion for games and for food – until now.

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            I am not the first to combine video games and cooking. There are several other fan projects focused on creating food inspired by video games. Mother’s Cookbook (@MothersCookbook) and The Legend’s Cookbook (@LegendsCookbook) are some examples of projects which set out to recreate foods found within video games (both are well worth checking out!) One of my favourite YouTube channels, Binging with Babish, explores a similar concept with food from movies and TV. While these projects were a major inspiration for the creation of this project, Gourmet Smash Ultimate is a little different – rather than recreating iconic foods from video games, my goal is to create unique dishes which are inspired by video game characters and their games. The process of coming up with a recipe is more conceptual and abstract: how would this character be represented through flavours, ingredients, and plating? How can I convey the essence of this character or their game through the medium of food? Each entry on this blog will not only contain the recipe, but also insight into how the recipe was created and how it represents its respective character. Head on over to the recipes section to get an idea of what this project is all about!

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            My goals with these recipes are as follows:

• Prioritize accurately representing the character through flavour and appearance. The recipe creation process always begins with a period of in-depth research into the character and their games.

• Create delicious food which earns the label of "gourmet." I will always be taste-testing and tweaking to make sure everything tastes its best. I will never post a recipe which has not been tested first.

• Make food which not only tastes good but is also aesthetically pleasing. Cooking is only half the fun for me, I also strive to put effort and care into the plating, styling, and food photography.

• Make recipes which are accessible to all cooks - some recipes will be more complex than others, but I always include tips and tricks to make things more efficient, and possible substitutions or tweaks for cooks of different skill levels. The skill level is always clearly indicated at the top of every recipe. Furthermore, I strive to be welcoming to people with different dietary restrictions such as vegetarianism or veganism.

• Leave recipes somewhat open-ended - I'm a firm believer that the most important element of cooking is adaptability and creativity. I will make note of possible variations you could try wherever I can. Experimentation is the best way to become a better cook - use these recipes as a starting point, and then explore!

 

            I am not a professional chef, nor an expert food photographer – but I hope you will join me on this crazy project and stick with me as I continue to learn and improve. My ultimate goal is to build a community of video game and food enthusiasts alike – I hope to see you share your own ideas, or try cooking these recipes yourself! If you decide to try your hand at one of these recipes, take a picture and tweet it at me (@GourmetSmash) – it would truly make my day!

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~pixel