Eat Like an Author: Famous Writers and Their Favorite Foods

We've all done it ... snacked while we worked. Not only does food provide basic energy to our brains, but consuming our favorite foods can fire up the pleasure centers in our brains and spark the creativity that we need to really produce top-notch work.

Did you know that many of your favorite authors relied on some pretty unusual foods to fuel their creative engines while they worked? Have a look at our rundown of the favorite foods of seven well-known authors and see if any surprise you ...

Author: Mark Twain

Famous Titles: Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn

Favorite Food: Turtle

Mark loved his fried chicken and biscuits, but apparently was also a fan of more esoteric foods including diamondback terrapin turtles, raccoon and prairie chicken, a variety of grouse that is today almost extinct.

Author: Agatha Christie

Famous Titles: Murder on the Orient Express

Favorite Food: Devonshire Cream

This heavy condiment, also known as clotted cream, is meant to complement other dishes like scones, but Agatha loved it so much she would eat it by the spoonful from a bowl, as one would eat ice cream. She was also known to drink liquid cream by the cup as well!

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Famous Titles: The Great Gatsby

Favorite Food: Tinned Meat and Apples

In stark contrast to the elaborate feasts enjoyed by his characters in The Great Gatsby, F. Scott himself was partial to meat eaten straight from the can, with a raw apple on the side. Perhaps this sparse snack explains the long descriptions he wrote of delicious banquets!

Author: Sylvia Plath

Famous Titles: The Bell Jar

Favorite Food: Tomato Soup Cake (recipe)

Sylvia loved to bake, and often made popular 1950s specialties that seem odd to our current tastes, many of which leaned heavily on prepackaged ingredients, as was the custom of the time. Apparently this cake is reminiscent of carrot cake, and Sylvia topped it with cream cheese frosting.

Author: George Orwell

Famous Titles: 1984

Favorite Food: Plum Pudding (recipe)

Despite describing British food in general as “simple, rather heavy, perhaps slightly barbarous,” George did have a soft spot for this traditional English dessert, which doesn't actually contain any plums, but is full of dried fruit instead.

Author: Emily Dickinson

Famous Titles:

Favorite Food: Homemade Rye Bread (recipe)

As we know, Emily rarely left her house, so it makes sense that she would most enjoy a food that she made herself. She was, in fact, known for her prizewinning "Indian and Rye" bread.

Author: Daniel Handler

Famous Titles: Lemony Snicket

Favorite Food: Raw carrots

Daniel apparently enjoys snacking on fresh carrots that still have the greens attached to their tops, and his desktop is littered with these discarded greens as he writes.

What are your favorite snacks when you work? Let us know in the comments!