Take A Peek Inside A Rare Surviving Copy Of Salvador Dali’s Erotic Cookbook (Which Costs $25,000)

Published in January 1973, there are only 400 rare surviving copies of Salvador Dali‘s erotic cookbook, entitled Les Diners De Gala, that are known to exist. Some can be found for as low as $370, while the most prized signed copies in immaculate condition can fetch $25,000 and more at auction. Written in 12 chapter categories, and filled with 136 deliciously bizarro Dali-esque recipes, the book oozes with a bounty of Dali’s gorgeous original artwork and illustrations. But its not only Dali’s artwork that is imbued with his eccentric personality — it’s his writing as well. Take, for instance, the following passage: “In fact, I only like to eat what has a clear intelligible form. If I hate that detestable degrading vegetable called spinach, it is because it is shapeless, like Liberty.”

The cookbook’s introduction is also a hoot, which reads: “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.” Various recipes include “Veal Cutlets Stuffed With Snails”, “Frog Pasties”, “Thousand Year Old Eggs”, “Top Round Eros”, “Conger Of The Rising Sun” (i.e. 6 conger eels with fatty bacon and so much more), and “Avocado Toast” (i.e. mashed avocados with lamb brains and almonds spread on toast). For the cocktail lover in you, here is one of Dali’s most cherished concoctions of all time:

CASANOVA COCKTAIL

The juice of 1 orange
1 tablespoon bitters (Campari)
1 teaspoon ginger
4 tablespoons brandy
2 tablespoons old brandy (Vielle Cure)
1 pinch Cayenne pepper

This is quite appropriate when circumstances such as exhaustion, overwork or simply excess of sobriety are calling for a pick-me-up.
Here is a well-tested recipe to fit the bill.
Let us stress another advantage of this particular pep-up concoction is that one doesn’t have to make the sour face that usually accompanies the absorption of a remedy.
At the bottom of a glass, combine pepper and ginger. Pour the bitters on top, then brandy and “Vielle Cure.” Refrigerate or even put in the freezer.
Thirty minutes later, remove from the freezer and stir the juice of the orange into the chilled glass.
Drink… and wait for the effect.
It is rather speedy.

You can try and buy your own copy of Dali’s Les Diners De Gala on Amazon (1), Amazon (2), as well as AceBooks.com. I’ve included some illustrations from the cookbook below (ending at photo #9 with the black framed platter with a moustache), as well as a few of my favorite photos from the now legendary 1972 Rothschild Illuminati Ball which Dali attended alongside Audrey Hepburn and many others (beginning with the Rothschilds in their crazy costumes). You can read more about what happened on that extraordinary night here: “The WOW Files: Mindblowing Pics Of The Rothschilds’ 1972 Illuminati Ball With Dali & Audrey Hepburn“.