You can now taste Salvador Dalì's extravagant recipes
His rare, weird and wonderful cookbook is getting reissued
Art & Design
October 14th, 2016
October 14th, 2016
Father of surrealism, visionary painter and eccentric personality, Salvador Dalì is known for being extravagant, both in his style and attitude, and several are the famous anecdotes around his figure, like the one that sees him attending a conference in London in 1936 wearing a diving suit, holding a sort of 'silent' speech (since the helmet prevented him from speaking out), and even risking of dying suffocated.
What you might not know about Dalì is that he also used to be a bizarre and innovative chef. This year, publishing house Taschen reminds it to us all by reissuing Les Diners de Gala, a pretty rare culinary book published by Dali in 1973 comprising 136 recipes conceived by the painter and his wife Gala. If the recipes are already very peculiar themselves (think "Cocktail Casanova" and "Thousand Year Old Eggs"), what makes the tome an authentic treasure trove for art lovers are the astounding illustrations and photographs that come along with them – absolutely extravagant, opulent and lustful.
In many cases, the dishes are stolen from French culinary tradition and were those served (in some cases, still are) in Parisian most memorable restaurants – Lasserre, La Tour d’Argent, Le Train Bleu; dishes to which Dali and Gala added a sensual and imaginative twist and which they used to serve to their guests at their lavish banquets. In fact, at some points, jokes and observations by the painter, perfect for a light conversation in front of an exotic-flavored dish, can also be found.
The cookbook – of which for over 40 years only 400 copies were left, a prerogative of the painter's fanatics – is divided into 12 chapters which go by queer titles recalling the dishes to which they refer. Among them, the tenth, Je mange Gala ("I eat Gala"), stands out as it presents aphrodisiac foods and lascivious recipes that will tease your imagination.
Back in the stores from November 20, Les Diners de Gala offers a lot of curious ideas even to those who aren't cooking enthusiasts, and it's set to be a bestseller this Christmas.
