A random thought occured to me today while I was wandering through the Northern Ice fields. What is the purpose of food in Skyrim? I know you could say for roleplaying but that seems to be the extent of it. There is no hunger icon that constantly fills up the longer you go without food and the beifits seem so mediocre that I wonder why not drink a potion that 10 times better instead? What are your opinions?

You can cook up very nice meals that increase your stamina/health regeneration, which are very useful for melee characters.

And those meals can boost your healt and stamina during brawling contests (especially interesting during early levels). Magic and potions aren't allowed, but apparently food is.

Vegetable soup if I remember is very beneficial.

I think it's one of those things that could have been very useful but with all they put into potions/enchantments ext. they may have run out of time so they just gave it a quick over. But yea pretty much unless they add new recipes with decent affects then yes it is mostly for RP purposes.

As mentioned already it is there for so we can make the highly beneficial regenerative consumables like Vegetable Soup or Elsweyr Fondu. As for the less usefull food items: I think their secondary reason for existing is "why not"?