The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book
 | |
| Author | Alice B. Toklas |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers |
Publication date | 1954 |
| ISBN | 978-1-897959-19-0 |
| OCLC | 478175 |
The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book, first published in 1954,[1] is one of the bestselling cookbooks of all time. Alice B. Toklas, writer Gertrude Stein's life partner, wrote the book to make up for her unwillingness at the time to write her memoirs, in deference to Stein's 1933 book, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas.[citation needed]
This work is as much of an autobiography as it is a cookbook, in that it contains as many personal recollections as it does recipes. The most famous culinary experiment is a concoction called "Hashish Fudge". Made from spices, nuts, fruit, and cannabis, Hashish Fudge quickly became a sensation in its own right. In the recipe, Toklas says it is called "the food of paradise" and goes on to suggest places where the cook might find the cannabis. She adds that the fudge can liven up any gathering and is "easy to whip up on a rainy day." She cautions two pieces are quite enough and that one should be prepared for hysterical fits of laughter and wild floods of thoughts on "many simultaneous planes."[2] The inclusion of Hashish Fudge in the recipe book caused some media controverary when it was initially published in France, and the recipe was removed from the initial American version of the book, though appeared in later versions.[3]
Legacy
[edit]Although Toklas later said that this recipe was given to her by her friend Brion Gysin, her name is forever linked with cannabis edibles due to its great success.[4]
A 1968 film, I Love You, Alice B. Toklas, references the popularity of Hashish Fudge in the 1960s counterculture movement.[3][5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Making Cannabis Edibles at Home". Portland Press Herald. September 18, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ Temple, Emily (2018-11-20). "Here It Is! Alice B. Toklas's Recipe for Hash Brownies". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ^ a b Bienenstock, David (2018-02-22). "7 Cannabis Edibles That Changed the Game". Leafly. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ^ Layla Eplett (April 20, 2015). "Go Ask Alice: The History of Toklas' Legendary Hashish Fudge". Scientific American blogs. Scientific American.
- ^ Eplett, Layla. "Go Ask Alice: The History of Toklas' Legendary Hashish Fudge". Scientific American. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
External links
[edit]- Malcolm, Janet (26 October 2007). "The odd couple". The Guardian.
- Alice B. Toklas (April 29, 1960). Readings From The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book (Spoken word) (streaming digital audio). Verve Records via Pacifica Radio Archives. 05:30 minutes in. Verve MGV-15017. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
Alice B. Toklas reads Brion Gysin's hashish fudge recipe from The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book