Edible Book Festival
Encyclopedia
The International Edible Book Festival is an annual event usually held on or around April 1, which is also known as Edible Book Day. The global event has been celebrated since 2000 in various parts of the world, where "edible books" are created, displayed, and small events are held. The creations are photographed and submitted to www.books2eat.com and then consumed. Regular contributors to the site are groups from Australia, Brazil, India, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Morocco, The Netherlands, Russia, and Hong Kong. The event was initiated by Judith A. Hoffberg and Béatrice Coron in 2000.
The official website www.books2eat.com says that the International Edible Book Festival is held to commemorate "the birthday of French gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
(1755-1826), famous for his book Physiologie du goût, a witty meditation on food," though April Fools' Day is also related as "the perfect day to eat your words and play with them as the 'books' are consumed on the day of the event." (cf. The Phantom Tollbooth
, as regards eating ones words.)
, Hamburg
, where pastry chefs made edible books. The "book art" was displayed, photographed, and then eaten. In 2005, the event was celebrated in Los Angeles
, too, at the Los Angeles Book Arts Center as the Annual International Edible Book High/Low Tea on April 2, where artists were encouraged to create and consume tomes. A 2006 Indianapolis Monthly
described the Indianapolis
festival as a "quirky event" held on April Fools' Day, "celebrating both food and literature." Participants created foods resembling literary titles.
A University of Florida
library holds the event as the Edible Book Contest in April, in connection with National Library Week
. There are two rules for the contest: Entries should be edible, and they must somehow relate to a book. Besides edible books, other entries include "edible book trucks" and "edible bookmarks." The event kicks off with viewing of the entries, each of which has an information card describing the book title, author, and creator of the book art. The "books" are judged by a panel of judges and by public voting. Awards are given in categories like: Most Creative, Least Edible, Best Overall Fiction, Best Overall Non-Fiction, and Best Children's Book. In 2010, the event is planned to be held on April 15 and the award categories are: Best Overall Entry, Best Book Theme, Best Pun, Best Adult Book, and Best Children's Book.
One library in the USA celebrated Banned Books Week
2008 by holding an Edible Book contest. The event invited guests to consume cooked dishes and baked goods that resembled covers of banned books or reflected their content. A reporter sums up the aptly named event: "Our celebration took Sir Francis Bacon
's famous words quite literally: 'Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and the other few to be chewed and digested.'"
In 2011 the British newspaper Metro ran a story that they would begin producing the newspaper on an edible "Sweet tasting paper" claiming to bring customers “news in the best possible taste."
The newspaper later clarified this was nothing more than an April fools joke.
Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin was a French lawyer and politician, and gained fame as an epicure and gastronome: "Grimod and Brillat-Savarin...
(1755-1826), famous for his book Physiologie du goût, a witty meditation on food," though April Fools' Day is also related as "the perfect day to eat your words and play with them as the 'books' are consumed on the day of the event." (cf. The Phantom Tollbooth
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Phantom Tollbooth is a children's adventure novel and modern fairy tale published in 1961, written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Jules Feiffer. It tells the story of a bored young boy named Milo who unexpectedly receives a magic tollbooth one afternoon and, having nothing better to do,...
, as regards eating ones words.)
Rules
The Participation rules per the official site are:- The event must be held on April 1 or around it
- "All edible books must be 'bookish' through the integration of text, literary inspiration or, quite simply, the form."
- "Organizations or individual participants must register with the festival’s organization ... and see to it that the event is immortalized on the international festival website (www.books2eat.com)."
Celebrations
In 2005, the festival was a joint initiative of forum book art and the Museum of WorkMuseum of Work
The Museum of Work, or Arbetets museum, is a museum located in Norrköping, Sweden. The museum can be found in the 19th century building The Iron in the Motala ström river in central Norrköping.See also: List of museums in Sweden, Culture of Sweden...
, Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, where pastry chefs made edible books. The "book art" was displayed, photographed, and then eaten. In 2005, the event was celebrated in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, too, at the Los Angeles Book Arts Center as the Annual International Edible Book High/Low Tea on April 2, where artists were encouraged to create and consume tomes. A 2006 Indianapolis Monthly
Indianapolis Monthly
Indianapolis Monthly is a magazine published in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Indianapolis Monthly brings readers information on every facet of Indianapolis life, including arts and entertainment, fashion, real estate, business, dining, education, travel, politics,...
described the Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
festival as a "quirky event" held on April Fools' Day, "celebrating both food and literature." Participants created foods resembling literary titles.
A University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
library holds the event as the Edible Book Contest in April, in connection with National Library Week
National Library Week
First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association and libraries across the United States each April, typically the second full week. The first National Library Week was held March 6–12, 1966.-External links:* from the American...
. There are two rules for the contest: Entries should be edible, and they must somehow relate to a book. Besides edible books, other entries include "edible book trucks" and "edible bookmarks." The event kicks off with viewing of the entries, each of which has an information card describing the book title, author, and creator of the book art. The "books" are judged by a panel of judges and by public voting. Awards are given in categories like: Most Creative, Least Edible, Best Overall Fiction, Best Overall Non-Fiction, and Best Children's Book. In 2010, the event is planned to be held on April 15 and the award categories are: Best Overall Entry, Best Book Theme, Best Pun, Best Adult Book, and Best Children's Book.
One library in the USA celebrated Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week is an annual awareness campaign that celebrates the freedom to read, draws attention to banned and challenged books, and highlights persecuted individuals...
2008 by holding an Edible Book contest. The event invited guests to consume cooked dishes and baked goods that resembled covers of banned books or reflected their content. A reporter sums up the aptly named event: "Our celebration took Sir Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
's famous words quite literally: 'Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and the other few to be chewed and digested.'"
In 2011 the British newspaper Metro ran a story that they would begin producing the newspaper on an edible "Sweet tasting paper" claiming to bring customers “news in the best possible taste."
The newspaper later clarified this was nothing more than an April fools joke.