5 foods to make for your ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ watch party
The long-awaited TV show adaptation of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” comes to Disney+ on Dec. 20, and legions of fans are getting ready to watch. If you’re among them, here are some ideas for Percy Jackson-inspired treats that you can snack on while you enter Camp Half-Blood.
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While the book series doesn’t focus heavily on food, there are several references to meals and specific dishes throughout the series. Here are five you can recreate at home:
Percy Jackson food ideas
1. Blue chocolate-chip cookies
A running theme throughout the books is the titular character’s love for blue food. In the first book, “The Lightning Thief,” Percy explains that his evil stepfather once said there was no such thing as blue food. In an act of defiance, Percy’s mom, Sally, had gone out of her way ever since to find and make blue food.
Sally’s blue chocolate-chip cookies are especially famous, and they’re easy to recreate: simply take your favorite chocolate-chip cookie recipe and add blue food dye to the dough. This is my go-to recipe, but you can use any. You can color them with liquid or gel food dye, but a great natural option is blue spirulina powder — it’s made from algae, so Poseidon would approve.
2. Chocolate cupcakes with blue frosting
Another iconic blue food from the series is the birthday cupcake Annabeth makes for Percy in the fifth book, “The Last Olympian.” While he describes it as looking like a “chocolate brick with extra blue cement,” it’s still a welcome gift.
You can make your own by topping any chocolate cupcakes with blue frosting — this is my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe, and this is my favorite recipe for vanilla buttercream. Again, you can use any dye to make your frosting blue, but spirulina powder will give it an extra-strong hue. You can also try using butterfly pea flower powder, which will add a slight floral flavor to the frosting.
3. Nectar and ambrosia
Ancient Greek texts make references to the food of the gods, also known as ambrosia, and nectar, their drink. In “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” demigods drink or eat small amounts of these substances, which give them strength and power.
However, the flavor of these changes to taste the best for each person who eats it. In “The Lightning Thief,” Percy says a glass of nectar looks like iced apple juice but tastes like his mom’s chocolate-chip cookies in liquid form. Ambrosia is often described as being served in squares, although not much else is said about its appearance.
Since the appearance and flavor of these items are up for debate, you can honestly make anything here and just label it as “nectar” and “ambrosia.” However, sources like Crafty Nectar say the ancient Greeks used to call mead — an alcoholic drink made by fermenting honey and water — “the nectar of the gods,” so you can make your own nonalcoholic mead at home.
As for the ambrosia, since it comes in squares, you could try making blondies or shortbread cookies. These butterscotch brownies and this Ted Lasso-inspired shortbread may not change flavors as you eat, but they’re still delicious.
4. Vegetarian enchiladas
Percy’s best friend, Grover Underwood, loves a good enchilada. As a satyr, his mission is to protect nature and all living things, so he’s a strict vegetarian. In his honor, try making a batch of these squash and black bean enchiladas for your Percy Jackson watch party. Extra bonus if you use blue corn tortillas!
5. Blue candy (and other snacks)
Again, any kind of blue food will help you celebrate your favorite demigod. Percy mentions that he and his mom enjoy blue corn tortilla chips, blue jelly beans, blue sour candy and more, all of which you can find at your local grocery store. Percy is also a fan of blue Coke, which you can make yourself by adding blue food coloring to your soda.
