While Studio Ghibli may be known for their lovable and charming characters, fairytale atmosphere, and beautiful storylines, one of the more underrated features of Ghibli movies is their food. All Ghibli fans have watched a Miyazaki movie, whether it be Spirited Away or My Neighbour Totoro, and wanted to eat the food they’re eating. Unfortunately, no matter how hard we try, we are never able to actually recreate the food on the screen. Perhaps we need our own Calcifer to fry our food for us.
This article will list the 10 most mouthwatering food in Studio Ghibli movies. For varieties sake, this list will be limited to one entry per movie.
Okayu - Princess Mononoke
On paper, okayu is just a simple rice porridge, or congee, dish. The food is typically eaten when you are ill or if you are cold, which makes it a very comforting food to eat. In the scene, Ashitaka and the monk share the meal together and it certainly serves its purpose of providing comfort.
Ashitaka is at his most alone after leaving his village due to the curse on his arm. The monk provides him with company and comfort and the okayu is a symbol of this.
Ramen - Ponyo
It would be very hard to make a bowl of ramen not look mouthwateringly appetizing. However, Studio Ghibli managed to create the ‘Plato’s Form’ of ramen. The ramen is perfect in every way and the fact that we see the preparation and cooking of the ramen makes it even more special.
While so many have tried to recreate this incredible ramen in real life, not a single attempt has managed to capture just how mouthwatering this ramen looks on screen.
Breakfast - Howl’s Moving Castle
This entry is a combination of the food and the chef. Naturally, it is not difficult to make eggs and bacon look mouthwatering. Though, again, Ghibli manages to make eggs and bacon look even better than they normally do.
However, another element of the breakfast in Howl’s Moving Castle is Howl’s cooking technique. The way he breaks the eggs with one hand and the way he slices through the bread is just incredibly pleasing and helps to make the meal even greater.
Bento - My Neighbour Totoro
While a bento box may not be the most extravagant of meals on this list, it still undoubtedly deserves its place here. We all wish that our parents would have given us a bento box such as this one to take to school (or even for the ability to make our own to take to work with us).
Aside from the tastiness of the food, the bento box scene in My Neighbour Totoro is one of the sweetest and most memorable scenes in the whole movie and easily deserves a place on this list.
Tempura - From Up On Poppy Hill
One could easily be forgiven for thinking that Studio Ghibli is torturing its viewers with its representations of food. The tempura in From Up On Poppy Hill is so mouthwatering that it’s almost unfair to include it in the movie.
Not only does the image make you instantly want tempura, but even if you are to get your hands on some you just know it will not be as satisfying or as juicy as the tempura from this movie looks.
Buffet - When Marnie Was There
While this buffet may not be as far-reaching as the table of food at the beginning of Spirited Away, it is still a mouthwatering and enviable meal. Not only does the food look incredible, but the fancy setting of the food also makes it seem incredibly special.
When Marnie Was There had a fantastic amount of mouthwatering food in the movie (most notably the cookies), but the lobster buffet simply has to take the entry on this list.
Everything - Spirited Away
If this list wasn’t limited to one entry per movie, Spirited Away would certainly have had several more entries due to the amount of food in the movie. There is the spongecake, the steamed bun, and the buffet at the beginning of the movie (to name just a few).
There are few foods that would be worth getting turned into a pig for, but the buffet at the beginning of Spirited Away is certainly one of them. Everything just looks perfectly juicy and irresistible, Chihiro’s parents can hardly be blamed for diving into that food.
The Herring Pot Pie - Kiki’s Delivery Service
If you were offered a ‘herring pot pie’, you may turn the offer down. However, somehow, Ghibli managed to make a fish pie seem like an irresistible proposition. The pastry just looks perfect, it is the ideal mix of burned and golden brown that makes a pie look so delicious.
While the filling of herring may not appear to be the ideal pie filling, Ghibli really does a marvelous job of making it seem like the best pie ever created.
Soup - Castle In The Sky
This is another relatively simple dish that Ghibli manages to make look so incredible. Aside from the fact that food looks great the steam above the dish helps draw the viewer in, another element that makes this soup look as welcoming as its homey beginnings.
We see the dish being cooked and this makes it even more mouthwatering. Sure, we’d still want to eat the soup if we just saw it in a bowl, but the cooking helps build up our hunger and our anticipation.
Spaghetti - Porco Rosso
While this meal is undoubtedly simple and easy to make, there is no denying that Ghibli’s spaghetti made us all dream of eating some carby goodness. Porco Rosso is one of the few Ghibli movies to be set in a clear, real-world location so it makes sense that the animation studio would include one of Italy’s most well-known dishes.
Despite the simple nature of the meal, it is still a fantastic looking plate of spaghetti and almost every Ghibli fan would want to tuck into that Italian goodness.
