I think its important to go into this manga without certain expectations. This manga, contrary to its name, is not so much about cooking and food but rather how food and cooking translate into culture. Its still too early to say how much from the LN will make it into the manga but what i really enjoy about the LN is how well developed and thought out the culture of not just the forest dwellers but the nearby town as well, and how their cultures interact and clash with each other and finally (small spoiler) how Asuta is literally building a food culture from the ground up attempting to bridge the gap.