Salvador Dali Cookbook: Les Diners de Gala

"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."

The preface of his cooking book can’t be a better disclaimer for Salvador Dalì’s approach to food and the pleasure of eating (Fine Dining Lovers already wrote about here): published in 1973, Les Diners de Gala is a rare and colourful cookbook featuring Dali’s recipes illustrated by the surrealist master himself. Divided into 12 chapters each one discussing a specific class of foods – from shellfish to vegetables and even aphrodisiacs – it’s an ode to exotic (and erotic) dishes with a surrealist twist.

Here's a look at some images from this precious and rare masterpiece.