Salvador Dali Wrote A Cookbook, And It’s Trippy AF
Yes, I bought it. Let’s talk about this artist and his love of food.
So, I’m of the school of thought that food and being a creative go hand in hand. Every single major creative person I’ve met has been a bon vivant in at least one way — often to the point of hedonism. It seems like Salvador Dali is not an exception to this rule.
Dali himself was famous for being a bit of a wildcard, but he was also a major hedonist when it came to food and wine. In the documentary about Alejandro Jodorowski’s production of Dune, Jodorowski noted that Dali was a huge fan of hanging out at both Spanish and French restaurants with a bottle of wine.
Unsurprisingly, Dali’s discipline included a natural knack for cooking. So, of course, the batshit crazy art dude decided to write a cookbook. I picked up a copy to find out what the artist really wrote about.
Uh, what the heck is this?!
If there is one thing that I can say about Dali, is that he’s always on brand. This book is pretty surreal, especially if you read French like I do. The chapters are…well, they are named in a very surreal manner that has almost nothing to do with the actual food it’s about.
For example, I included a photo of Chapter 3. The title of this section translates into “the greatest of the little discomforts.” That’s apparently what Dali considered the first course of the meal. Meanwhile the illustration is something out of a bad acid trip.
However, you can’t be fooled by the trippy imagery. Behind every chapter is an amazing array of recipes that take you right back to the glory days of true French cooking back in the 60s. Oh, and they also note where the recipe came from, if it doesn’t come from Dali himself.
The recipes are bold, daring, and at times, not really doable in most parts of the country today.
Man, this book made me wish that I partied it up with Salvador Dali. Bad.
It’s not just the fact that I love French cooking, either. The photos that they brought from his dinner parties are nothing short of breathtaking. This guy wasn’t just a bon vivant. He was an elegant hedonist to the extreme!
I mean, this cookbook involves his own recipes for wild game like larks and quails. (Oh, and peacocks are quails or something, too.) Unfortunately, that also means those recipes are not on the table for a typical weirdo from New Jersey.
The recipes also don’t have numbered steps to them.
So, I figured I should show you what a typical recipe might entail. You might find that there are a lot of terms that are a bit outdated for today. And, if you’re like me, you might end up getting lost reading everything multiple times.
According to the book, Salvador Dali wanted to be a cook, not a painter, when he was a child. In the end, he apparently decided to master both. It comes clear in the recipes. Simplicity is not his style, and you will have to put in serious work to make these,
Presentation matters, too.
Decadency, thy name is Dali. I’m known for making large food spreads, but nowhere near the level of insanity that this global artist did. It wouldn’t shock me if the food pictured above would clock in at a $1,000 meal.
But, if you love Dali’s artwork and want to dine like Dali, you can’t get better than this recipe book.
Dali always struck me as someone who walked a fine line between genius and madness. If you thought that his only talent was art, think again. His unique mastery of everything around him was what made him so famous. He’s just raw talent. If you want proof of it, grab his cookbook.
My verdict? It’s a 10/10 cookbook that is a must for people who want to understand what a great thinker does with his dinner. I can’t wait to show you more!
