My First Taste of ‘Delicious in Dungeon’

Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 1

Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui, translated by Taylor Engel, was a refreshing dive into a fantasy story. Aside from the usual adventure, magic, and fighting, it offers a new angle: cooking.

Laois and his party are fighting a dragon when everything goes wrong. Their equipment is lost, they’re exhausted, and Laois’s sister is swallowed by the beast. With no choice but to retreat, he now has to find a way to rescue her before it’s too late. The situation is made worse when some of his team members quit, leaving him with less time and fewer companions.

I first encountered this story on Netflix. The anime was funny, the art was fantastic, and the characters felt alive. Naturally, I had to read the manga. It didn’t disappoint.

What makes this story so unique is its focus on the creatures of the fantasy world. It answers the age-old question of which magical monsters are edible and proves that plenty of them actually are. Each chapter showcases a recipe based on the monster the party encounters. Despite being fiction, it almost feels like the story reaches out to the reader, saying: this is what you can make with what you find on your own dungeon adventures!

I loved the variety of characters and how distinctly themselves each of them felt. Most of all, I enjoyed watching the recipes unfold chapter by chapter, blending cooking with adventure in a way that feels playful and fresh.

Delicious in Dungeon truly was a new experience for me. It stayed light while keeping its contrast between characters, and its world-building felt natural in the way cooking introduces everything piece by piece.