Ticket to Ride and CATAN Official Cookbook Review

Board game night and themed cooking overlap in two officially licensed books from Ulysses Press: Ticket to Ride: The Official Cookbook and CATAN: The Official Cookbook. Both turn familiar game themes into recipes designed for fans who want to carry the experience from the table into the kitchen.

Ticket to Ride: The Official Cookbook

Based on the route-building board game, Ticket to Ride: The Official Cookbook organizes more than 75 recipes around destinations from the game. The menus draw on regional foods from cities across North America, including dishes inspired by Boston, Nashville, Montreal, and New York.

The route-based organization is the most distinctive part of the concept. Rather than simply adding game-themed names to generic recipes, the book uses destinations as the structure for appetizers, sides, mains, desserts, and drinks.

CATAN: The Official Cookbook

CATAN: The Official Cookbook also includes more than 75 recipes, but its approach is built around the world and terminology of CATAN. Recipes include themed names such as Scalded Feta Barbarian Skewers, Adventurer’s Charcuterie Board, Rocky Road Cookies, and a prickly pear margarita.

The cookbook includes photographs and dietary labels or modification suggestions, which can make it easier to plan for a mixed group on game night.

Which Cookbook Makes More Sense?

Ticket to Ride is the stronger fit for people who enjoy regional food and travel themes, while CATAN leans more heavily into playful references to the game itself. Both are best viewed as novelty cookbooks that happen to be usable, rather than essential general-purpose cookbooks.

For families looking to build a full evening around tabletop play, our family game night ideas guide includes additional options for kids and parents.

Bottom Line

These official cookbooks make the most sense as gifts for fans who already love Ticket to Ride or CATAN. The recipes are part of the appeal, but the real value is the way each book extends the theme of the game into food and entertaining.