Every place has various dishes and culinary traditions that are important to it, and food itself is such a pillar of society. It brings people together and defines whole cultures. Food is important to real people and places, but it's just as important when creating a fictional world. Food moments are memorable, and their often the scenes that stick out the most in a movie or TV show.

There's an argument to be made that no franchise has more iconic food scenes than Lord of the Rings. There are so many moments in the series that either involve or center around consuming some sort of food. A lot of fans even host watch parties where they prepare and eat the different food items as they come up in the film, as a way to get more immersed in the story (and to try out some of that delicious Middle-earth cuisine). From lembas bread to shortcuts to mushrooms, here are just a few of the most memorable food moments from Lord of the Rings.

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Second Breakfast - The Fellowship of the Ring

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Pippin's insistence on a second breakfast is one of the most iconic lines from the series, and is not only a good summation of his character, but is also a little insight into the daily lives of Hobbits. Food and rest are concepts that are very important to the halflings, which is made clear through Pippin's listing of their various meals throughout the day, exceeding the normal three meals a day of Western culture. Of course, there are many places in the world that observe these sort of in-between meals as meals within themselves, so it's not like Pippin is being unreasonable. After all, they're about to go on quite a harrowing journey, so maybe a second breakfast or two is the right call.

Drinking Contest - The Return of the King

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Legolas and Gimli's friendship is such a fun arc to follow over the course of the movies, and the drinking game that ensues from their growing connection is incredibly entertaining. This scene is actually only present in the Extended Edition of The Return of the King, which is unfortunate because such a fun moment deserved to be in the final cut. In the scene, Gimli and Legolas have a contest to see who can down the most alcohol before giving up...or passing out.

They both manage to consume quite a considerable amount of the stuff, though Gimli gets much more visibly drunk while Legolas, likely due to his elf stamina, appears relatively unaffected. After he comments that he can feel the alcohol starting to get to him because of a "slight tingle" in his fingers, a very inebriated Gimli takes this as a win...after which he immediately passes out. The whole scene is very funny and a great character moment for these two new friends and their growing relationship.

Merry and Pippin's Isengard Feast - The Return of the King

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In the aftermath of the battle at Isengard, everyone's favorite mischief-making Hobbits come across a storeroom filled with preserves, cured meats, and other various food items. They excitedly make themselves a celebratory feast and enjoy it while also indulging in some pipe-weed, which is where the rest of the Fellowship finds them when they make their way to Isengard. It's a nice moment of levity early on in the film, and it's very in-character for Merry and Pippin to think of food and celebration after going through a battle. They're having so much fun that it almost makes you wish you could join them.

Potatoes - The Two Towers

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Another very iconic Lord of the Rings moment is Sam's argument with Gollum about stew. Gollum finds a couple of rabbits for the group to eat, but protests when Sam puts them into a stew with potatoes...or "taters", rather. Despite the fact that one can boil 'em, mash 'em, or stick 'em in a stew, Gollum doesn't think they pair very well with the rabbits and think they would taste better "raw and wriggling".

It's clear why this scene became one of the best known in the series - it's a light moment before things get dark, and it's such a silly argument, but it also showcases the growing tensions between Sam and Gollum. Poor Sam wants nothing more than to have a good meal for once while they're on the road; he brought with him the best salt in the Shire for a reason!

Denethor's Meal - The Return of the King

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Of all Lord of the Rings eating scenes, this one is perhaps the grossest. It depicts Denethor chowing down on a dinner of tomatoes and chicken while Faramir rides off towards certain death. There are numerous close ups of him tearing into the chicken and bursting the tomatoes in his mouth in a way that can only be described as disgusting. There are juices dribbling down his chin and food stuck in his teeth as he continues to devour the meal in front of him with no regard for the manners one would think being the Steward of Gondor would require.

The haunting vocals of Billy Boyd as Pippin playing over the entire scene is just the cherry (or perhaps cherry tomato) on top of the moment, as the beauty of his voice is contrasted with the repulsive way that Denthor is destroying this dinner. It's such a memorable moment because of the way it makes the viewer so viscerally feel what's going on in the scene as if they themselves were there.

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