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Picture a lavish dinner table filled with the finest french foods, dinner guests dressed in costumes and exotic animals prancing about; these were the notorious dinner parties that Salvador Dali and his wife Gala would host – theatrical events that only a select few got to witness.
When 6-year-old Dali proclaimed his aspiration to be a chef, little did the world expect that this eccentric man’s wishes would be fulfilled, at least in part, when he was in his 60’s, in the form of a surrealist erotic cookbook, Les Diners de Gala.
Dali was a man who wore many opulent hats, most prominent were his artworks and experimental films. We get to see all his eccentricities, absurdities and everything that we love about him come alive in Les Diners de Gala. Initially published only once in 1973, the 320-page cookbook would sell for hundreds of dollars for its rarity and fantastical nature. As luck would have it, we’ve now gotten the opportunity to get our own very copy at a much more wallet-friendly price as the book was reprinted by Taschen for the first time in decades!
Les Diners de Gala comprises of recipes handpicked by Dali and his wife from famous French chefs and restaurants of the time, including Lasserre, La Tour d’Argent, Maxim’s, and Le Train Bleu. Taschen’s reprints hold all the seemingly-bizarre recipes, photographs and illustrations by Dali himself, of the original book. 136 recipes divided meticulously over 12 chapters and organised by meal course, including the infamous ‘aphrodisiacs’, this book stands as the epitome of all things Dali.
This is further emphasised by Dali’s cautionary prelude to the book:
“We would like to state clearly that, beginning with the very first recipes, Les Diners de Gala, with its precepts and its illustrations, is uniquely devoted to the pleasures of Taste. Don’t look for dietetic formulas here.
We intend to ignore those charts and tables in which chemistry takes the place of gastronomy. If you are a disciple of one of those calorie-counters who turn the joys of eating into a form of punishment, close this book at once; it is too lively, too aggressive, and far too impertinent for you.”
Les Diners de Gala is more than just a cookbook – although, you can actually try your hand at the recipes at home if you have a well-stocked pantry and a taste for the strange – it’s an amalgamation of Dali’s surrealist world and an aesthetic experience for all your senses.
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