Get any closer Link and you’ll fall in

Food is a key component of gameplay in Legend of Zelda’s Breath of the Wild. It allows players to boost Link’s stats temporarily, restore health in a pinch, and adds a level of immersion and autonomy to the game through the beloved cooking mechanic. From the very start, players are taught the importance of food, surviving off apples and various mushrooms growing near the awakening shrine until they begin to travel further, advance their skills, and collect new and better food ingredients to improve their playthrough.

Without the right foods not only can Link not cook more advanced dishes, but some fights early on will be frankly impossible to beat unless players have an extraordinary amount of skill. Going into a fight against a Lynel with only three hearts and no way to heal yourself is almost certainly a death sentence and a mistake new players often make (something I admit I did and definitely regretted).

 

10. Apples

An Apple a day keeps a Guardian away

I sure hope you like Apples, because in Breath of the Wild, it always inevitably comes back around to the Apples. When you think of food, Apples are probably one of the first things that come to mind. It's one of the first foods Link discovers outside the Shrine of Resurrection and is found widely through Hyrule except for places of extreme temperature like Death Mountain, Gerudo Desert, and the winter region of the Hebra Mountains. This takes players like myself back to our days in the Midwest running through apple orchards searching for the perfect ones to bring home.

Whether baked or raw, Apples helpfully restore health during that period of time where better resources are still out of reach for newer players. I find myself having a good sixty Apples in my inventory at all times because they’re such a common resource, and it’s invaluable whether you’re a rookie or an experienced player for those times when you need a quick way to heal Link after a monster encounter or a bad fall. Either climb a tree, cut it down, or hit a tree with a blunt weapon like a Bokoblin Club to retrieve your desired Apples - knowing you had to put in effort to pick them makes that crisp crunch all the more sweeter.

How to Get Apples:

• Located on Apple Trees around Hyrule, they are commonly found in the Great Plateau, Hyrule Field, and East Necluda
• Often times players can pick Apples from the smaller trees just by jumping under the lower branches, however climbing or hitting the tree might be necessary in order to get all three apples
• Large Apple Trees are best dealt with by striking them with a blunt weapon like a club that will cause all the Apples to fall to the ground - magically unbruised!
• If you need wood, cutting down an Apple Tree is like getting two birds with one stone, although in this case the birds are Bundles of Wood and Apples

Apple Stats:

• Sell Price: 3 rupees
• Health Points if eaten raw: restores ½ a heart
• Effects in a recipe: 
  • Duration: 0:30 
  • Health Points: 1 Heart

 

9. Mushrooms

Gotta catch 'em all

Mushrooms, like Apples, are a common resource in Breath of the Wild that can be utilized throughout the game. Because of the variety of stat boosts they provide, they’re a super useful item to have in your inventory, but I’ll admit they’re ranked lower on the list because while mushrooms are relatively easy to find, their true value is unlocked through cooking rather than just as a raw consumable like Apples.

Especially for new players, stopping to pick mushrooms at every opportunity might seem tedious, but ultimately it’s worth it in the long run. Mushrooms can be used in all sorts of recipes, and so long as you don’t accidentally mix conflicting stat boost effects in a recipe, you can really improve your playthrough with the effects of different Mushrooms. Although there are fruits as well as outfits that combat temperature effects like in the Hebra Mountains or the Gerudo Desert, Mushrooms tend to be more widely available and easier to find when you first venture into a new area.

How to Get All Types of Mushrooms: 

• Often found at the base of trees, but that can change depending on environment and region - for instance, Rushrooms are commonly found on ruin walls, cliff faces, and other vertical stone surfaces
  • Chillshroom:
    • Eldin Canyon
    • Gerudo Highlands
  • Silent Shroom:
    • Hyrule Field
    • Akkala Highlands
  • Zapshroom:
    • Gerudo Highlands 
    • Hyrule Ridge
  • Stamella Shroom:
    • Great Hyrule Forest
    • Hyrule Field
  • Endura Shroom:
    • Hyrule Ridge
    • Hyrule Field
  • Sunshroom:
    • Deep Akkala
    • Gerudo Highlands
  • Rushroom:
    • Great Hyrule Forest
    • Tabantha Frontier
  • Razorshroom:
    • West Necluda
    • East Necluda
  • Ironshroom:
    • Lanayru Great Spring
    • West Necluda
  • Hylian Shroom:
    • Hyrule Ridge
    • Hyrule Field

All Mushroom Types Stats:

• Chillshroom 
  • Sell Price: 4 rupees
  • Health Points: ½ Heart
  • Heat Resistance
• Silent Shroom
  • Sell Price: 3 rupees
  • Health Points: ½ Heart
  • Stealth Boost
• Zapshroom
  • Sell Price: 4 rupees
  • Health Points: ½ Heart
  • Electricity Resistance
• Stamella Shroom
  • Sell Price: 5 rupees
  • Health Points: ½ Heart
  • Stamina Boost
• Endura Shroom 
  • Sell Price: 6 rupees
  • Health Points: 1 Heart
  • Endurance Boost
• Sunshroom
  • Sell Price: 4 rupees
  • Health Points: ½ Heart
  • Cold Resistance
• Rushroom
  • Sell Price: 3 rupees
  • Health Points: ½ Heart
  • Speed Boost
• Razorshroom 
  • Sell Price: 5 rupees
  • Health Points: ½ Heart
  • Attack Power Boost
• Ironshroom
  • Sell Price: 5 rupees
  • Health Points: ½ Heart
  • Defense Boost
• Hylian Shroom 
  • Sell Price: 3 rupees
  • Health Boost: ½ Heart
  • Heart Boost 

 

8. Raw Bird Drumsticks

You could say it's finger-lickin' good

Birds are all over Hyrule, and so when players want a nice roasted Drumstick over the fire for dinner or just want to embrace their inner beast by eating it raw, this is a fun food to have on hand. This and Raw Meat will likely be the first meat items that new players acquire and are handy when first testing out the limits of Link’s cooking abilities. 

The most obvious way to acquire Raw Bird Drumsticks would be by shooting a bird, however for those who are lazy, or for those (like me) who honestly just discovered it by pure accident, Drumsticks can be acquired by urging your horse into a gallop and simply…running them over. A bit brutal, yeah, but it’s definitely an effective tactic to get meat easily and this method can also be used against smaller monsters like Bokoblins as well when you’re just not in the mood for a fight on the side of the road.

How to Get Raw Bird Drumsticks:

• Dropped by Small Birds
  • Wood Pigeon 
    • Great Hyrule Forest
    • Hyrule Ridge
  • Mountain Crow
    • Great Hyrule Forest
    • Hyrule Ridge
  • Bright-Chested Duck
    • Hyrule Ridge
    • Hyrule Field
  • Blue-Winged Heron
    • Hyrule Ridge
    • Faron Grasslands
  • Pink Heron
    • Hyrule Ridge
    • Gerudo Desert
• Found throughout Hyrule, can be along roads, rivers and wetlands, or in the unpaved countryside

Raw Bird Drumstick Stats:

• Sell Price: 8 rupees
• Health Points if eaten raw: 1 Heart
• Effects in a recipe:
  • Duration: 0:30
  • Health Points: 2 Hearts

 

7. Raw Meat

The foundation of a delicious Seared Steak and a great way to make any dog your best friend

Raw Meat is a helpful resource usually acquired from animals commonly seen in the beginning stages of the game like Grassland Foxes, meaning that this is a food that really starts to open up the cooking mechanic for new players. Where before players could only make fruit or veggie dishes, now they can make recipes using meat that is more interesting and boosts more health depending on ingredients.

Just like with the Drumsticks, players can get Raw Meat either by shooting or slashing at these small to medium sized animals, but running over animals while galloping on your horse will also get the job done. Mountain Goats and Grassland Foxes are often on the roads or nearby, meaning that they are an easy source of Raw Meat while traveling all across Hyrule.

How to Get Raw Meat:

• Dropped by Small Harmless Animals 
  • Woodland Boar
    • Hyrule Field
    • Lanayru Great Spring
  • Mountain Goat
    • Great Hyrule Forest
    • Hyrule Ridge
  • Grassland Fox
    • Hyrule Field
    • Lanayru Great Spring

Raw Meat Stats:

• Sell Price: 8 rupees
• Health Points if eaten raw: 1 Heart
• Effects in a recipe:
  • Duration: 0:30
    • Health Points: 2 Hearts

 

6. Hearty Truffle

Good for the heart

The Hearty Truffle was my first foray into something that boosts Link’s hearts, especially when used in a recipe. It’s a fun and interesting ingredient with undeniable benefits and a good item for newer players who are still getting the hang of the fighting and cooking mechanics.

Lots of forests dot the central Hyrulian landscape, and alongside all the mushrooms available for players to pick, Hearty Truffles are a diamond in the rough. Excellent for players with a small amount of hearts, the Hearty Truffle is likely one of the first items players will find that provide a significant boost in heart restoration, paving the way for items like the Big Hearty Truffle or even the Big Hearty Radish as players accumulate more permanent hearts through besting shrines and get a better handle on the game.

How to Get Hearty Truffle:

• Found in Hyrule Field and Great Hyrule Forest often at the base of trees

Hearty Truffle Stats:

• Sell Price: 6 rupees
• Health Points if eaten raw: 2 Hearts
• Effects in a recipe:
  • Category: Hearty
  • Potency: 1 Extra Temporary Heart
  • Health Points: Full Recovery
  • Health Points for mixed categories: 4 Hearts

 

5. Raw Prime Meat

The Moose WILL charge you so look out

With Raw Prime Meat comes a new plateau in player’s skills. A step up from Raw Meat, this is for players who are starting to expand their horizons in terms of hunting, fighting, and cooking. The more hearts a player has, the better ingredients you need to sate Link’s endless appetite so that he can continue purifying Divine Beasts and beating up Bokoblins on his way to free Zelda.

As players explore more of the world and learn how to play in a way that best suits them, more options regarding food naturally opens up. Each new animal discovered marks an increase in experience, especially for the animals that can only be reached in specific, temperature-dependent regions meant to challenge players’ creativity and critical thinking. You start out collecting Apples, shooting foxes, and fleeing for your life from Bokoblins, but it’s clear that the better you become as a player, the easier it is to defeat monsters and animals that seemed beyond your skills once upon a time.

How to Get Raw Prime Meat:

• Dropped by Big and Dangerous Animals
  • Red-Tusked Boar
    • Akkala Highlands
    • Deep Akkala
  • Honeyvore Bear
    • Crenel Peak
    • Hickaly Woods
    • Lake Totori (South)
    • Rok Woods
    • Ulria Grotto (South)
  • Mountain Buck
    • Hyrule Field
    • Lanayru Great Spring
  • Mountain Doe
    • Hyrule Field
    • Lanayru Great Spring
  • Water Buffalo
    • Lanayru Wetlands
    • Akkala Highlands
  • Snowcoat Fox
    • Hebra Mountains
    • Tabantha Frontier
  • Maraudo Wolf
    • Tabantha Frontier 
    • Tanagar Canyon
  • Wasteland Coyote
    • Gerudo Desert
    • Gerudo Highlands
  • Cold-Footed Wolf
    • Hebra Mountains
    • Gerudo Highlands
  • Tabantha Moose
    • Hebra Mountains
    • Gerudo Highlands
  • Great-Horned Rhinoceros
    • Hebra Mountains
    • Gerudo Highlands
  • Grizzlemaw Bear
    • Biron Snowshelf
    • Hebra West Summit
    • Laparoh Mesa
    • Meadela’s Mantle
    • East Mount Agaat 

Raw Prime Meat Stats:

• Sell Price: 15 rupees
• Health Points if eaten raw: 1.5 Hearts
• Effects in a recipe:
  • Duration: 0:30
  • Health Points: 3 Hearts

 

4. Big Hearty Truffle

As Nat and Meghyn demonstrate time and again, Truffle hunting can be a perilous business

Similar to the Hearty Truffle, this is a food that proves more helpful the more hearts a player has as they progress later into the game. Although not as common as the Hearty Truffle, a Big Hearty Truffle is a great item to have in your inventory when gearing up to go into a fight against a Divine Beast or other fearsome monsters that exist in Breath of the Wild.

What really separates the Big Hearty Truffle from the Hearty Truffle is not the amount of hearts restored, but rather the extra albeit temporary hearts unlocked when this ingredient is used in a recipe. The mechanic of extra hearts (which appear in yellow alongside the permanent heart bar) was a pleasant surprise for me, and one that players who are further into the game and have mastered cooking can utilize very well for those more intense fights.

How to Get Big Hearty Truffle:

• Can be found in Hebra Mountains and Mount Lanayru

Big Hearty Truffle Stats:

• Sell Price: 15 rupees
• Health Points if eaten raw: 3 Hearts
• Effects in a recipe:
  • Category: Hearty 
  • Potency: 4 Extra Temporary Hearts
  • Health Points: Full Recovery
  • Health Points for mixed categories: 6 Hearts

 

3. Raw Gourmet Meat

A meal fit for a king

Raw Gourmet Meat is an example of a reward worth the struggle and best suited for later in the game. This meat can only be acquired from bigger, tougher animals in Breath of the Wild, but the payoff for getting it allows players to expand their recipe repertoire and face harder challenges with hearty meals that will carry them through to victory.

Additionally, besides the increased boost in heart restoration, Gourmet Meat shows up in a side quest called A Rare Find. In this side quest, Link can talk to a man named Trott at the Outskirt Stable in Central Hyrule who will give you 100 rupees for a piece of Raw Gourmet Meat. So whether Link is in dire need of food or money, Gourmet Meat comes in handy for all situations.

How to Get Raw Gourmet Meat:

• Dropped by Big and Dangerous Animals 
  • Water Buffalo [for location see Raw Prime Meat]
  • Snowcoat Fox [for location see Raw Prime Meat]
  • Maraudo Wolf [for location see Raw Prime Meat]
  • Wasteland Coyote [for location see Raw Prime Meat]
  • Cold-Footed Wolf [for location see Raw Prime Meat]
  • Tabantha Moose [for location see Raw Prime Meat]
  • Great-Horned Rhinoceros [for location see Raw Prime Meat]
  • Honeyvore Bear [for location see Raw Prime Meat]
  • Grizzlemaw Bear [for location see Raw Prime Meat]

Raw Gourmet Meat Stats:

• Sell Price: 35 rupees
• Health Points if eaten raw: 3 Hearts
• Effects in a recipe:
  • Duration: 0:30
  • Health Points: 6 Hearts

 

2. Hearty Salmon

This looks more like a fish ready to eat Link’s heart than provide additional ones

A wicked-looking fish with a fiery scale design on its back and teeth just to top it off cause why not, the Hearty Salmon is a little intimidating up close, but hides a lot of benefits beneath its fierce exterior. Whether eaten raw or cooked, this fish provides a substantial amount of hearts, and is a resource that all players no matter their experience should be aware of when exploring Hyrule.

Bad at fishing or just feel like you’re flailing wildly in the water without the Zora Armor to boost your swim speed? Players can also use their Sheikah Slate Rune mechanic to throw a bomb into a body of water - preferably one that’s not moving fast like a lake or pond - and any fish caught in the explosion radius will float up to the surface, ripe for the taking. Similar to the unconventional method of running over animals with your horse, this is an easy and convenient method for players who have low stamina or low real-life motivation. No matter your reasons, it's valid and you deserve to have the best of fish for Link because let’s be real, traveling all over the world and trying to defeat Calamity Ganon is difficult work.

How to Get Hearty Salmon:

Can be found in the Hebra Mountains and Tabantha Frontier
On rare occasions the Hearty Salmon can even be dropped by a defeated Grizzlemaw Bear
Players can find a few Hearty Salmon in a pond on one of the rock formations leading up to Rito Village - related to the Recital at Warbler’s Nest side quest

Hearty Salmon Stats:

• Sell Price: 10 rupees
• Health Points if eaten raw: 4 Hearts
• Effects in a recipe:
  • Category: Hearty
  • Potency: 4 Extra Temporary Hearts
  • Health Points: Full Recovery
  • Health Points for mixed categories: 8 Hearts

 

1. Fairy

...Yes, you can eat the fairies, you absolute barbarian 

Cute, small, and pretty, Fairies are an underappreciated element of Breath of the Wild. While I’ve never had the guts to use them in any kind of recipe, simply having them in your inventory is a massive boon: if you die, a Fairy will automatically be used to resurrect you. This mechanic has saved my life more than once when getting ambushed by Guardians or Lynels both as a rookie and as a more experienced player because let’s be real, the Guardian theme music never fails to get  the adrenaline pumping. 

Only by boosting stat effects through cooking can any other food reach the impressive degree of heart restoration that Fairies provide. Maybe I’m just too squeamish for my own good, but I prefer to rely on the death-saving throw aspect of a Fairy’s abilities rather than what they can bring to the recipe, but whether you let Link go a little feral and eat a Fairy or not, they are one of the most helpful items to have in any playthrough. 

How to Get Fairies:

• Fairies can be found around Great Fairy Fountains 
• Fairies are skittish, so be sure to crouch and stealth your way toward them until the prompt to grab them appears

Fairy Stats:

• Sell Price: 2 rupees
• Health Points if eaten raw: 5 Hearts
• Effects in an elixir:
  • Health Points for first: 7 Hearts
  • Health Points: 10 Hearts
• Effects in a recipe:
  • Duration: 0:30
  • Health Points: 10 Hearts

 

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