A cookery book can be a clear mark of the time and culture it was created for. Many recipes disappear from subsequent books when fashions and needs change but thankfully many don’t disappear forever. Salvador Dali’s 1973 surreal cookery book has been in the news recently as it is due for re-release in November 2016; this has sparked off our interest in some of the kookier cookery books out there to buy right now. Take a gander at some of these beauties…
Let’s start off with the one that inspired this post in the first place: Salvador Dali’s Les Diners de Gala. 136 recipes fill the 12 chapters, each named something equally eccentric or bizarre as Dali himself. It is absolutely as you would expect from Dali’s out-of-this-world mind, the images are striking, occasionally grotesque, and the recipes are interesting and surprisingly edible. The book is re-released in November 2016 but there are pre-owned copies out there for anyone keen:
This cocktail recipe (thanks to Fine Dining Lovers for the image) is a particular favourite among fans of the book, mainly for its palatability:
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.
Next on our list of perfectly strange cookery books is this resourceful offering from David and Mary Gordon. The Eat-A-Bug Cookbook is packed full of recipes for anyone who has wondered what the right wine is to serve with scorpion, or if a creamy sauce is perfect for silkworm or grasshoppers. Personally I couldn’t eat a worm without grilling them first with a little garlic butter and Gruyère cheese… Expand your mind and embrace the bug-eating here:
The popularity of baking is at an all-time high right now in the UK as The Great British Bake Off brought it back to the spotlight, and people were inspired to create their own delicious bakes. I have a feeling that some may have taken it too far though when I see this baking book… “Gross-Out Cakes: The Kitty Litter Cake and Other Classics” shows us how to make disgusting looking things out of normal, yummy ingredients. Do you know anyone who would enjoy a birthday cake shaped like a box of kitty litter? Or perhaps a blood clot cake? Ohh! How about Toe Nail Torte? YUM! Find these surprising recipes here:
Many of us are meat-eaters in this world and some try to only source more ethically sound meat, but not many of us keep our meat consumption as ethical as this! The animal has unfortunately had a fatal accident- so what should be done with the body..? Best not to waste it, right? That’s certainly what Buck Peterson believes! Quick-Fix Cooking with Roadkill offers recipes for any poor soul left squished on the road. If you are not afraid to pick out the grit and ignore the tire marks on your meat then this is for you. This cookbook is not like many others I have come across; it is a humorous read, full of perfectly lovely recipes you can use with regular, store-bought meats. Come over to the roadside here:
The Un-Constipated Gourmet: Secrets to a Moveable Feast by Danielle Svetkof is a collection of 125 recipes to help you… Well, how do I say this delicately..? It helps you ‘go’. Anyone who has trouble adding fibre to their diet can use this book as a guide and dietary mentor as it is packed full of delicious recipes such as fruit compotes, gorgonzola and fig salad, warming stews, and many more. The title and concept initially made me laugh, and I’m not sure this would make a good gift, but to be honest it seems like a pretty useful book for many people. Find out how to get moving here:
Our next choice Natural Harvest by Paul Photenhauer is particularly niche, and many of us would find this absolutely abhorrent, however the author is passionate about semen and its nutritional value. I just… I can’t. I can’t imagine buying semen from the baking section of the supermarket. Or would it be in the dairy aisle?
It is no secret that semen is high in nutrients: “Semen is only one percent sperm; the rest is composed of over 200 separate proteins, as well as vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, calcium, chlorine, citric acid, fructose, lactic acid, magnesium, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, vitamin B12, and zinc” (greatist.com) so sure, technically it would be ‘good’ for you but… Is that enough? Apparently not, the author also argues that semen has its own complex taste and can be used as one would any other ingredient. I think I’ll pass, but it may appeal to some of you! If you’ve found this new information easy to swallow follow this link:
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