I don’t know about you all, but I literally gasped out loud when I saw this scene from The Force Awakens for the first time:
Seriously, nothing beats practical effects, and a team apparently spent around three months (!) getting that effect just right. As far as I’m concerned, they nailed it, as it’s one of the most memorable parts of the film for me.
Some cool tidbits about this bread… The mixture comes from Unkar Plutt, who is profiting wildly off the remoteness of that trading station on Jakku. You have to figure that he obtained the ration packs for as little as possible, and because he also sells the water necessary for making it, he’s got a slice of all the profit to be made out of folks just trying to survive.
Life can be tough for a scavenger like Rey, especially on desert planets like Jakku and Tatooine. Where eating is more necessity than pleasure, one often lives hand to mouth, scraping by with traded salvage for rations such as these, which likely were themselves salvaged from military supplies:
This recipe, while not quite so aesthetically impressive as the film version, does puff up when made, in under a minute. The ingredients were selected for basic nutritional content rather than tastiness factor; Rey’s eating to survive. But let me tell you: if you imagine you’ve just come back from a long day of salvaging parts in the dry heat of Jakku, just about anything made of food will start to taste great!
Update: I’ve added this recipe to the lineup for Fictional Foodies’ May Star Wars lineup. Check out the other cool recipes folks have submitted here.
Polystarch Puffbread Recipe
Location: Jakku, and throughout the Galaxy
Makes: 1 small serving
Prep: 5 minutes – Cooking: 45 seconds
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 4 Tbs. wheat flour
- 1 Tbs. instant oats
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. thin flakes dry seaweed
- pinch each of salt, ground pepper, cinnamon
- ~2 tablespoons water
Lightly grease a 6″ ramekin or small bowl with the oil. In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, followed by just enough water to hold it all together. Quickly form into a rough ball, and place in the center of the ramekin. Place the ramekin in the microwave, and cook for 45 seconds, during which time the bread should puff up somewhat. Allow to cool slightly before eating.
