Top Video Game Foods -- Portal Cake, Bananas and Burgers

Video games and food have always had a close relationship. Food has acted as everything from a source of energy or health, to a weapon to make enemies spin out of control. In some cases the food in the game has become just as iconic as the game itself. Entire levels, even entire games have been based on different types of food. After extensive hours of research, we've come to the conclusion that the list below encompasses our favorite video game food items. In fact, if we were to host our very own video game smorgasbord, this is what we would be serving up. Who's in?

The Cake - Portal

Portal remains one of the most iconic video games of the this generation. Creative story, lovable cubes, innovative gameplay and who can forget the cake? Throughout Portal you learn that all is not as it seems. Written on the walls, hidden from the security cameras, the words "the cake is a lie" warns players GlAdDoS and Aperture Science aren't all there cracked up to be. The closing credits of Portal reveal that the cake might not have been such a lie after all.

Power Pellets - Pac-Man

It doesn't get much more old school than Pac-Man. Made popular in the arcades, it became an icon for 80s gaming. Pac-Man went on to star in dozens of spin-off Pac-Man games. He's been working none-stop for 30 years. What gets Pac-Man through the day? Power pellets. In the corners of mazes large, flashing dots appear, they are are known as Power Pellets. When consumed they grant Pac-Man the temporary ability to eat the enemy ghosts. Pinky is the tastiest. Or so I've been told. 

Bananas - Donkey Kong and Mario Kart

Bananas have been a Nintendo favorite since the 8-bit days. As something to be consumed bananas are Donkey Kongs's fruit of choice. Regular bananas are used as a type of currency in most of the Donkey Kong games. In Donkey Kong 64 your main quest is to reclaim your stolen bunch of Golden Bananas.

On a more malevolent note, Nintendo has also been known to hand out a banana or two to be used as weapons. Mario Kart encourages players to throw either one banana or a bunch of them at opponents on the race track. When driven over, bananas cause other racers to spin out of control.

Mushrooms - Mario series

Mario might be the single most notable symbol of video games. But even he wouldn't have gotten far without the mushroom. There are nearly 50 types of mushrooms in the Mario universe all with different abilities. One makes you bigger, and one makes you small. A 1up mushroom will give you another life and in Mario Kart they make you faster. Some can even turn you into a bee or a boo. Mushrooms first appeared in the Mushroom Kingdom in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars in 1996.

Nuka-Cola - Fallout series

Before the Great War, Nuka-Cola was the United State's most popular soda. Luckily for the select survivors of the war where every nuclear-capable nation launched their weapons, Nuka-Cola remained surprisingly unharmed, albeit a little warmer. Good thing that potassium benzoate did its job. Vitaminerals and health tonics are sometimes added to give the cola an extra kick. When consumed in large quantities it can become addictive. However even though it has a 10% addictive rate there really aren't any drawbacks to being an addict. So go ahead, keep drinking! 

Fruit - Yoshi, Castle Crashers

Fact: video game characters love fruit. They are often used items that restore health, status ailments, and hunger. Castle Crashers, downloadable 2D side-scrolling beat-em-up, uses fruit in mini-game called "All You Can Quaff." Players complete over who can eat the most fruit the fastest. Story mode also had fruit that can restore health lost in battle. Eating fruit sometimes have physical effects too. In Super Mario Sunshine fruit transform Yoshi different colors. It can also give Yoshi special abilities like Super Mario Galaxy 2.

The Burgers (and the eggs, pickles, weiners, and so on) from BurgerTime

What time is it? It's BurgerTime. You are Chef Peter Pepper and your task at hand to survive the perils of burger ingredients world. The world is a maze of lettuce, buns and patties. Only when all the parts are aligned can a burger be formed. All burgers must be completed to finish the level. But don't think for one second life is that easy. Enemies like Mr. Hot Dog, Mr. Pickle, and Mr. Egg are always trying to keep you from your sacred burger duties. 

Food off of the Ground from Final Fight

Final Fight is all about kicking ass. You're in a hurry to scurry from the left side of the screen to the right, while punching and kicking various bad guys. That's a tough job, right? It's enough to make anyone ravenous. But when you're a fighter on the go, what are you supposed to do when your hunger kicks in? Simple. Just bust open a trash can and devour the surprisingly pristine food you find inside. Nothing could be wrong with that, right? Final Fight offers up a bevy of menu choices, fresh from the back alleys: burgers, grapes, whiskey (!), and the ever popular turkey leg. So delicious.

But, all taste buds are different. What's your favorite food in a video game?