Food in Castle in the Sky: Flying Islands and Coal

Food in Castle in the Sky: Flying Islands and Coal

Castle in the Sky (Miyazaki, 1986) is full of food scenes: train workers share bread and eggs, pirates eat heartily and noisily. Food here is a sign of human solidarity in a world of war and adventure.

History of the dish

Food in Castle in the Sky is working-class and plain: bread, eggs, stew. It is an industrial age, and meals show class divisions: miners eat modestly, pirates eat abundantly. Miyazaki always uses food as a social marker.

Key ingredients

To recreate the 'workers' meal' from the anime: hard-boiled eggs (cook 10 minutes), thick bread and butter, hot boiled beef and vegetable soup (carrot, potato, onion), tea.

How to cook at home

Make the soup with beef bones — 2–3 hours for the stock, then add meat and vegetables. Boil eggs hard and serve in their shells. Eat with your hands — like a Miyazaki miner.