Welcome to Caraval: Fig Bread and Cinnamon Tea

Recreated from Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Scarlett tried to ignore it as she inched closer. Next to the clothes, on top of a gilded table covered in moon dials, a curvy vase of red roses sat next to a tray laden with fig bread, cinnamon tea, and a note.

Cross-sensory trickery in Stephanie Garber’s Caraval includes smelling colours, feeling flavours and hearing food. This is a realm of unexpected metaphors, where food serves as a medium between unusual experiences and our protagonist’s perception of them: the colour plum triggers olfactory associations of brutality for her; discomfort is experienced as the prickling of smoky-ginger; and in one rather seductive scene, violin music plays, richer than the darkest chocolate.
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Despite this narrative sweetshop of nearly-edible experiences, relatively little food is actually consumed in the story (I’ve marked each instance in the Caraval food list with an asterisk). Here, I’ve opted for one of the few instances food is literally present – Legend's 'welcome' to Scarlett. I think it sets the tone for all the deliciousness that follows.

Fig bread (appr. 12 slices)
Look no further than this BBC Good Food recipe. Apart from some extra salt, I have nothing to add. 
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Cinnamon tea (2 cups)

• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2.5 cups of water

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1. Put the water and cinnamon sticks in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce to simmer for 15 minutes. 
2. Take off the heat and leave to steep for 15 minutes before removing the cinnamon stick. Pour through a tea strainer if bits have come loose. 
3. Reheat if preferred and serve. 

If you enjoy making bread but don't have time for kneading and proving, try a simple soda bread from Assassin's Apprentice.  

If you like to combine sweet and savoury, try this roasted lamb dish from Spellslinger.