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Abstract
Culinary fiction often features genres and sub genres in addition to the culinary mode in it. One such genre which frequently occurs with the culinary mode is magic realism. Magic realism in culinary fiction is analysed through the book The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender, taken for study in this paper. Texts existing with this dual nature of culinary and magic realism feature food as a medium of magic where supernatural occurrences happen either through the ingredients or the cooking process. Such texts focus on the relationship between the protagonist and food, thus portraying food as a living medium outside the cultural reality of the text.
The novel chosen for this study highlights the presence of an alternative reality known as magical reality. It also brings to light the complex nature of food which exists as sustenance as well as defining one’s identity. Through the novel it is seen that food as a magical medium possesses the ability to affect the protagonist’s relationships with others and her own life. The merging of food and magic in literary texts provides an opportunity for the genre of magic realism to evolve.