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.
"mingling of recipe and reminiscence"[2] - Alice B. Toklas
Liberation Fruitcake
When Americans liberated Culoz,[3][4] their retreat from Paris after the German occupation of France, Alice made fruitcake for General Alexander Patch and the Seventh Army with hoarded citron, candied orange peel, candied lemon peel, candied pineapple, raisins, cherries, currants, almonds, marzipan and brandy.[5][6]
Hashish Fudge
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."[7] The inclusion of Hashish Fudge in the recipe book caused some media controversy 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.[8]
Legacy
Although Toklas later said that this recipe was given to her by her friend Brion Gysin, her name is forever linked with cannabis edibles.[9]
A 1968 film, I Love You, Alice B. Toklas, references the popularity of Hashish Fudge in the 1960s counterculture movement.[8][10]
References
- ↑ "Making Cannabis Edibles at Home". Portland Press Herald. September 18, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ↑ "How the Aspic From Topeka Won the Heart of Alice B. Toklas". nytimes.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- ↑ "Gertrude Stein". bugeysud-tourisme.fr. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- ↑ Allocution de M. François Mitterrand, Président de la République, à l'occasion de l'inauguration de l'exposition consacrée à Gertrude Stein, à la mairie de Culoz (Ain), samedi 18 juillet 1987.
- ↑ Hannah, Patricia (May 2003). "Gertrude Stein and the Liberation Fruitcake". BBC Radio 4 Extra. BBC. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- ↑ "Fruitcake to Feed an Army". Eating My Words. November 14, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
Since 1940 she's been hoarding provisions for a "Liberation Fruitcake". Hidden away in the linen cupboard and tenderly watched over are "4 lbs. citron, candied orange and lemon peel, pineapple and cherries and 2 lbs. raisins, all of which [she] had put into two well-covered glass jars".
- ↑ Temple, Emily (November 20, 2018). "Here It Is! Alice B. Toklas's Recipe for Hash Brownies". Literary Hub. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
- 1 2 Bienenstock, David (February 22, 2018). "7 Cannabis Edibles That Changed the Game". Leafly. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
- ↑ 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 April 27, 2025.
External links
- Malcolm, Janet (October 26, 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