Scientists Calculate the Exact Food Requirements for a Trip to Mordor

Two scientists named Skye Rosetti and Krisho Manoharan decided to calculate exactly how much food, or in this particular case Lembas bread, would be required for a complete trip to Mount Doom. The scientists took into consideration the nine members of the fellowship, namely four hobbits, three humans, a dwarf and one elf, as well as the 92 days that they needed to travel in order to reach Mordor. The results indicate that such a long trip would require a total of 1,780,214.59 calories, and even though Lembas is believed to be very nutritious, they fellowship would have still needed about 675 loaves divided among its members.

To clarify, the scientists estimated that a human from Middle Earth would need about 1,700 calories per day while Legolas could make do with just 1,400. The hobbits need 1,800 calories each on account to their small bodies and rapid heat loss. Lembas bread is described as a thin yet hearty meal that’s supposed to “keep a traveler on his feet for a day of long labour, even if he be one of the tall Men of Minas Tirith.” From this statement, the scientists estimated that a loaf of Lembas contains 2,638.5 calories. In conclusion, the hobbits would have needed 304 loaves, the humans 214, Gimli 99 and Legolas 60.

Boromir was definitely right when he said that “one does not simply walk into Mordor”, at least not on an empty stomach.

Thank you IFLScience for providing us with this information.