Les Diners de Gala

by Salvador Domenech Felipe Jacinto; translated by J. Peter Moore Dali, J. Peter Moore (Translator)

“Les diners de Gala is uniquely devoted to the pleasures of taste … 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.”―Salvador Dalí Food and surrealism make perfect sex and lobsters, collage and cannibalism, the meeting of a swan and a toothbrush on a pastry case. The opulent dinner parties thrown by Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) and his wife and muse, Gala (1894–1982) were the stuff of legend. Luckily for us, Dalí published a cookbook in 1973, Les diners de Gala, which reveals some of the sensual, imaginative, and exotic elements that made up their notorious gatherings. This reprint features all 136 recipes over 12 chapters, specially illustrated by Dalí, and organized by meal courses, including aphrodisiacs. The illustrations and recipes are accompanied by Dalí’s extravagant musings on subjects such as dinner “The jaw is our best tool to grasp philosophical knowledge.” All these rich recipes can be cooked at home, although some will require practiced skill and a well-stocked pantry. This is cuisine of the old school, with meals by leading French chefs from such stellar Paris restaurants as Lasserre, La Tour d’Argent, Maxim’s, and Le Train Bleu. Good taste, however voluptuous, never goes out of fashion. In making this exceptionally rare book available to a wide audience, TASCHEN brings an artwork, a practical cookbook, and a multisensory adventure to today’s kitchens.The first English edition of Les Diners de Gala was published in 1973 by FELICIE, INC., New York

Genres: Art, Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Cooking, Food, France, Food Writing

322 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea Dalí was so into wrapping things in bacon.



Pate and Swiss cheese wedges are also essential ingredients in his cuisine.



There some weird things in here, ranging from amusing (sauerbraten of crocodile) to horrific (gosling cooked alive) but mostly this is a normal, if dated, cookbook. Dalí took his cooking seriously and invested way more time in these dishes than I would be willing to spend, but I think the food is typical of high-end European (i.e. French-influenced) haute cuisine. Many things are stuffed, even more are molded, and practically all of them make my arteries cringe.



And of course there's also art, so if you are a fan of the artist the book is certainly worth a look.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most decadent, indulgent, awe-inspiring menus and food choices you will ever witness.
Dali did not just want to create a mere menu for perusing and choosing. Dali wanted to create a place of extreme oral and mental ecstasy of the mere thought of putting anything from this book in your kitchen, mouth and stomach.
Not only are people treated to the splendid recipes that would be hard to put a regular dinner table, but the photos and art work live up to the food,...finally.

[jw468 · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this is fascinating, I enjoyed Wines of Gala more than I did this book, hence the four-star rating.

Part of what makes this book interesting, to me, is that despite its lavish production and association with Dalí, this is a real cook book. One could cook any of the recipes found within. I will admit that I would probably only be willing to cook about half of the recipes in it, and maybe eat another fourth of them if I didn't have to see the ingredients beforehand.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished reading the Dali cookbook. While I am quite sure that I will never cook any of the recipes it was an interesting adventure and the art was worth it. The photography, on the other hand, was repugnant.

[Astral · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute must for any serious Dali lover.

[ion · Rating 3 out of 5]

An art cookbook full of kitsch and frog legs.

[Denver Public Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I am exalted by that that is edible,” explains Salvador Dalí in the description of Dalinian Gasto-Esthetics found as an introduction to his massive cookbook produced in 1973 and recently reissued by artbook producer Taschen in 2016. Attesting that at six he wanted to be a chef and at seven… Napoleon, Dalí captures in this collection the essence of the surreal in cuisine and all he adores about food. Les Dîners de Gala is named for his wife Gala Dalí in honor of their outlandish parties, full of costumery, the strange, and the extreme. The meals within rely on excess, with towers of crayfish titled as a “Bush of crayfish in Viking herbs,” or “Peacock à l’Impériale dressed and surrounded by its court,” complete with the whole peacock, still feathered, on the dish.

Marked by very distinctly 1970’s photography aesthetic, the standout features of this book are not the photos or creations of the food themselves but the accompanying recipes that at times serve as tiny surreal or absurd short stories and the accompanying collages and illustrations found in between the recipes. I hoped this collection would have been far stranger than it ended up being, but I still adored the concept of surreal cooking and the emblematic artifact of Dalí’s outlandish parties.

Get Les Diners de Gala from the Denver Public Library

- Hana

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an oddity: A cookbook by the renowned surrealist painter and scenarist (among other things; he was somewhere between dilletante and polymath). I have been a fan of Dali's since Comics Scene did an article on his proposed collaboration with Walt Disney, post-Dumbo and -Fantasia (the article came out circa 1993). I appreciate his work, sometimes, more than I actually enjoy it, and that is the case here.
This is the most decadent cookbook I ever did see, and also the most grotesque. The representations of the meals, be they painted or photographed, are as Dali as you could imagine. Prepping these meals would take many hours and, in some cases, over a thousand dollars. Eating these meals is not recommended for anyone who suffers from diabetes or gout; vegetarians and vegans should also steer clear. So, not for your average Stewie Homemaker.
As a piece of art, it is breath-taking; not at all a crowd-pleaser, this would still be a great conversation piece. It's weird, though; mileage will vary, some of the recipes and art may offend you (PETA problems), and it is also fairly rare.
Thank you to my mother, who saw this at a book sale and thought of me. That kind of thing happens to me, and it's awesome.

[Ivan Irizarry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otra genialidad de Dalí. Mi receta favorita la #131.

[Nikki Clementi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Salvador Dali was definitely on a different level and maybe possibly some drugs.

This is like his actual cookbook he wrote if he had become a chef which was one of his many passions. I don’t even know how to describe this book. It has recipes and explicit drawings… it’s probably exactly what you might think a Salvador Dali cookbook would be!

[Walter Otto · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mother had the original First French Edition of this book which was published in 1973. As a teenager it could usually be found in my room. I was already a big Dalí Fan then. I was delighted when Taschen reissued this book, this time translated into English. This lavishly illustrated cookbook presents all 136 recipes of the original in 12 chapters, specially illustrated by Dalí. The sections include: exotic dishes, eggs - seafood, first course, meats, snails - frogs, fish - shellfish, game - poultry, pork, vegetables, aphrodisiacs, sweets - deserts and hors d'oeuvres. The recipes are from top Paris Restaurants such as Lasserre, La Tour d’Argent, Maxim’s, and Le Train Bleu. Dali and Gala were known as extravagant connoisseurs. As far as I can tell these are all real recipes. The only one I ever tried was No.54 "Snails á la Chablisienne". The recipe calls for 100 snails, I reduced this to 12. Many of the other recipes are not really doable because of complexity, difficulty in finding the ingredients and probably also the difficulty in finding willing dinner guests to east "Frog Cream", "Pig Feet in flaky pie crusts" and "Salsifies with quenelles".

Illustrations consist of photographs of the dishes and table settings which are mostly ok and paintings and drawings by Dalí. Some I've seen before others not. There are also some photographs of menus. The book was printed in Italy and is very well illustrated. The reproductions are good, but the quality is not as good as the original, nor is the paper. One word of caution. The cover of the original was kind of metallic golden foil. This new edition is done in a shiny thick paper replicating the original gold cover. Both the new and the old cover are vulnerable to marking, scratching and damage. I would suggest if you're going to read the book, possibly slide it around a table or carry it around, to take the cover off while in use. Underneath the cover is cloth binding which features the painting "Autumnal Cannibalism" from 1936.

Last word by Dalí himself on the book:

“Les diners de Gala is uniquely devoted to the pleasures of taste … 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.”—Salvador Dalí

Review by Walter O. Koenig

[Arbi Tdz · Rating 5 out of 5]

سلفادور دالي!! كتاب للطبخ ؟؟
سلفادور دالي ، الفنان الإسباني الشهير و الذي ابتكر المدرسة الفنية السريالية المعروفة لكل المهتمين بالفنون .. عندما كان في السادسة من عمره كان يحلم ان يكون طباخاً .. وقد نشر كتاب للطبخ في عام 1983. الكتاب يحتوي على وصفات مرفقة برسوم سريالية من إبداعاته .. و الآن أعيد نشر هذا الكتاب للمرة الاولى بعد ٤٠ سنة ..
شخصيآ لم أتوقع أنه ألف كتاب للطبخ ، و الآن بعد أن إطلعت على 90 بالمية من رسومات الكتاب ، سأشتريه يوما ما عندما أصبح مليونير

بعض من رسومات الكتاب
https://imgur.com/gallery/yKS2u?fbcli...

لا يهمني محتوى الوصفات ، أهتم للفن فقط لهذا ساعتبر نفسي أنهيت قراءته

[Karen]

#BestCoffeeTableBooks #BestGiftableCoffeeTableBooks

A reissue of Salvador Dali’s cult 1973 cookbook (there were only 400 copies published), Dali: Les Dîners de Gala. This gorgeous book features recipes and trippy photo collages from the over-the-top dinner parties the artist threw with his wife Gala, where guests were required to wear costumes and dine on odd dishes like veal cutlets stuffed with snails and toffee with pine cones.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretentious, indulgent, "Spirito-Mystic-Monarchic, Catholic, Apostolic, Romantic", A Gasto Odyssey of Esthetics, Folly and Genius, Eucharistic, decadent, depraved, obscene, sado-masochistc, beatiful but largely impractical...

Are all descriptions, some accurage and some hyperbolic (often from Dali's mouth himself).

This is more dining as an experience of the senses, not for genuine taste.

[Lauren Barroso · Rating 2 out of 5]

Went to the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida and looked through this book at the gift shop. The recipes were very strange and the images of the meals looked very unappetizing, orange toned images that gave off a horror movie vibe. I love collecting recipe books and thought it would be interesting to add to my collection, however the recipes are a bit too surreal for my taste.

[Elsabe Retief · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a documentary chef Jose Andres said, crunch is an ingredient.
So is the visceral pleasure of food. Drama and intention to savour should be the motivation to eat. No one better can address that matter better than Salvador Dali.
This book is a wonderful impractical guide to decadence. A joy to behold.

[Carlotta · Rating 5 out of 5]

When art meets food. An amazing book, interesting decadent recipes, some might be a bit complicated to make because of the extraordinary ingredients, a revival of a cuisine that is rich and glam. The art throughout the book is obviously the "piatto forte". A collectors book.

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

A decadent feast for the hungry eye balls. Dessert island book! Pun intended :)

[Tbone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for the art, bad for the recipes.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

hard to rate, b/c it's just so crazy and weird and so very Dali, extravagant....the pictures are amazing

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know you want brains on your avocado toast.

[Atqiya · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully bizarre. Most of this I wouldn't cook. But it's a fun book.

[Chōkōdo Shujin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haute cuisine has gone mad in the most beautiful way.

[Patrick Neville · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cool representation of art and food in recipe format. So good I bought it for my family member.

[Isaac Lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

a weird art book with some reasonable recipes. wish it either had weirder recipes or more art

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best cookbooks ever!

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never made a recipe from this book.There are no after-school snacks, no emergency dinner party stand-bys, no overnight crock-pot miracles. As a cookbook I rate it a question mark with an ant crawling across a quizzical eyebrow, and a tear in the shape of Gala's profile.

Mostly I just page through it and go "weeeeeeeird!" I show it to my friends and they're like "coooool!" My kids look at it and go "ewwwwww!" It's evocative.

I love it. It ended up with me by chance, and it's the most out-there book in my collection. It's Dali, go figure. He would have to outdo everyone else. Worth a look.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a cookbook, squeamish people need not crack this one. But there's a lot to be learned from the incredible flair for presentation that most of these dishes demonstrate. There are many game recipes that will seem strange to most Americans, but there's really nothing that weird in the book (despite many of the reviews that circulate). Many of the pork and lamb recipes seem interesting, and while I haven't cooked anything from it just yet I just might. I encountered this book when I was much younger, and revisiting it now brings a greater appreciation both for the art, and the food. A wonderfully lush reprint of a classic.

[BookCrazy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been described as food porn and I can see why. The images are just amazing, including those from Jheronimus Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights used for many of the chapter introductions (and oddly not credited to him).

As a vegetarian, I would never, ever eat the food described. However as a look at unusual cooking techniques, the beautiful printed menus the likes of which we never see at restaurants anymore, and page after page of interesting, odd, gorgeous artwork, this is one book we will leave out to look at again and again.