Four pages into The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins presents us with a description of something that sounds both delicious and precious. A special occasion food for the reaping from Katniss’ darling sister Prim, hidden under a bowl so that Buttercup couldn’t steal it.
“I swing my legs off the bed and slide into my hunting boots. Supple leather that has molded to my feet. I pull on trousers, a shirt, tuck my long dark braid up into a cap, and grab my forage bag. On the table, under a wooden bowl to protect it from hungry rats and cats alike, sits a perfect little goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves. Prim’s gift to me on reaping day. I put the cheese carefully into my pocket as I slip outside.”
To do this, I decided I’d better at least make some of the same effort as Prim and make my own goat cheese. You can read about how I did it here. It’s surprisingly easy.
To form the cheese, I simply took some in my hands and made a small rounded square. I took some washed basil leaves and cut the thick parts of the stem off. I wrapped leaves around from the bottom to ensure that part was covered. The tips of the leaves would form the little tip at the top.
Since I live in a hot climate, the cheese was very soft and squishy. I figured the Everdeens didn’t have a fridge and so I figured chilling mine would be cheating, but then later I realized that it was probably pretty cold where they were and that would have kept the cheese in a nice, solid form. That would explain why Katniss could put it in her pocket and not have a mushy goat cheese pocket.
I’d bought twine to tie it up, but I thought this looked nice by itself so I left it.
May the odds– be ever in your favor!
Don’t forget to follow Fictional Food on Twitter and Like Fictional Food on Facebook!
(11 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
Loading …
Related items on Amazon:
- The Hunger Games
- Meyenberg Evaporated Goat Milk
- CIA Candy/Deep Fry Thermometer
- Ferry-Morse Organic Basil Seeds
Perfectly Prim Goat Cheese Recipe
By
Published: April 10, 2011
- Yield: 1 goat cheese
On the morning of reaping day, Prim leaves her sister Katniss a “perfect goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves”.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh goat cheese
- 4-5 large basil leaves washed
Instructions
- Form goat cheese into a rounded square.
- Trim basil stems from the bottom.
- Place the bottom end of the leaves under the cheese, folding the tip up. Lay two opposing leaf tips down flat, sticking it to the cheese.
- Bring the other two leaf tips up and pinch them together. Chill until nicely hardened.
- Serve on top of warm sliced bread from Mellark’s bakery and top with a basil leaf. Eat with wild blackberries.
[...] I ate some for lunch on toasted bread slices and it was nom! (though a bit too garlicky, mah bad) I couldn’t believe I’d made my own cheese! Find out what I did with it to make some Perfectly Prim Goat Cheese. [...]
Like or Dislike:
1 
1
I am totally in love with the site’s idea! I have wanted to do this so many times! But especially after reading a paranormal romance about Ms. Frankenstein breaking into an old duke’s house because she thought he was a vampire. She found him making chicken wings in a red wine stew. I WANTED this so badly and there is no recipe out there that I found that matched the description very well. I can’t wait to see what else you do on here! We have a local farm that makes home made goat cheese, it’s the only goat cheese I’ll eat.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Thanks Kelly!
If you can find the text, you can post it in the Requests section and I’ll see about trying it.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[...] Here’s another District 12 delicacy that your guests would love! Find out the recipe here. [...]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Hi! I just discovered your blog and am in love! Every time I reread The Hunger Games I find myself craving goat cheese and basil thanks to Suzanne Collins’ simple but delicious descriptions. I think it’s so neat that you actually recreated Prim’s cheese.
Next up: Greasy Sae’s “beef”? stew? 
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Hahaha, I was going to do lamb stew, but maybe if I find something I can do a beef stew. It certainly won’t be wild dog!!! LOL
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
This is such a cool website – I am loving this idea and can’t wait to see what other things you do in the future!
I would never have thought of making my own goat cheese (goat cheese is one of my favorite foods ever)! I am super intrigued by this.
Also, you make a good point about the lack of refrigeration and the texture of the goat cheese. Since the reaping is in the summer (most likely June, July or August), and District 12 is in the Appalachian region, it would be pretty darn hot. Katniss’s pocket would undoubtedly be super messy with a soft goat cheese inside. I had never thought of this before..!
Like or Dislike:
1 
0
[...] about we start with some of Prim’s goat cheese served on fresh bread? It can followed by lamb stew, chicken in an orange cream sauce, and the [...]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
This is so cool. I’m going to get whole bunch of hunger games recipes, and cook them for my hunger games party that I’m going to have with my friends for when the movie comes out in theaters. 241 more days!
Like or Dislike:
2 
0
[...] Goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves – posted April 10, 2011 [...]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[...] from their basket from Haymitch and then mentions the tarts they make at the bakery, no doubt from Prim’s Goat Cheese because at one point, Katniss mentions that Prim always puts aside two of her cheeses for him and [...]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
i was wondering if there was anyway to make goat cheese less sour?I’ve only had it once,and it was like licking lemons. =P
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[...] I ate some for lunch on toasted bread slices and it was nom! (though a bit too garlicky, mah bad) I couldn’t believe I’d made my own cheese! Find out what I did with it to make some Perfectly Prim Goat Cheese. [...]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[...] Goat Cheese-Wrapped Basil from Fictional Food. Katniss’s little sister, Prim, whom she saved from the reaping, owned a small goat that provided the family milk and cheese. This dish is reminiscent of the basil-wrapped goat cheese that Prim left Katniss on reaping day. [...]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
How many little cheese wraps does one recipe make? I would like to serve these at a Hunger Games party I’m having for four of my friends and was wondering how much I should make.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[...] straight from the Mellark family bakery. For a special treat, make Crystal Watanabe’s take on Prim’s goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves. Decedant, colorful macacroons are devoured by the boxful full (in my mind) at the Capitol while [...]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[...] straight from the Mellark family bakery. For a special treat, make Crystal Watanabe’s take on Prim’s goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves. Decedant, colorful macacroons are devoured by the boxful full (in my mind) at the Capitol while [...]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[...] straight from the Mellark family bakery. For a special treat, make Crystal Wantanbe’s take on Prim’s goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves. Decadant, colorful macacroons are devoured by the boxful (in my mind) at the Capitol while [...]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[...] Bakery Goat Cheese Apple Tarts, Reaping Supper Fish Stew with Greens, Mr. Mellark’s Cookies, Prim’s Goat Cheese, a lovely THG cake, and [...]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[...] Bakery Goat Cheese Apple Tarts, Reaping Supper Fish Stew with Greens, Mr. Mellark’s Cookies, Prim’s Goat Cheese, a lovely THG cake, and [...]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Thanks for the fresh insights
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[...] Perfectly Prim Goat Cheese [...]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[...] the past to fill it up with content. I did, however, do one post that involved a lot more effort: Perfectly Prim Goat Cheese from The Hunger Games. It was the first time I’d made cheese and for it I feel all [...]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[...] http://www.fictionalfood.net/2011/04/perfectly-prim-goat-cheese/ [...]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
OMG THIS LOOKS SO GOOD! This is basically exactly what I imagined the goat cheese to look like! TOTALLY trying it! And im not going to forget those blackberries with them. Yummy! Cant wait untill I get the ingredients. Oh and can you PLEASE make peeta biscuts or bread? Or maybe the capitols lamb chops.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
These look so good! But how big exactly are they supposed to be? I got the ingredients and I am trying to figure it out. And how many leaves did you use to wrap them? I am guessing about 2? Because even with my 2 big leaves it looks small.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
They’re pretty small, should be able to fit into the palm of your hand! I always envisioned it being a tiny goat cheese, not something big.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Thanks! That really helped! I just made them and they are amazing! Yum. I even had blackberries on the side.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Love this website! And I can not stop eating these. Ive had a ton of these. They are so good I can not stop eating these! Next can you make like a Capitol Punch? Like a drink from the Capitol. Or a smoothie or something like that.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
[...] are other dishes that are a bit more palatable like goat cheese wrapped in basil leaves or chicken and oranges in cream sauce on rice with flower shaped rolls and peas with tiny onions [...]
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
It looks so yummy! *.* and I love this website!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0