The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book

“The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book,” authored by Alice B. Toklas and published by Harper & Brothers in 1954, stands out as a bestselling mix of autobiography and recipes. Notably, it includes a recipe for “Hashish Fudge,” which played a pivotal role in popularizing cannabis edibles. Toklas’ cookbook, beyond its culinary contributions, offers insights into her life and times, reflecting her connections within the literary and artistic communities.

Publication Details

• Author: Alice B. Toklas
• Publisher: Harper & Brothers
• Publication Date: 1954
• ISBN: 978-1-897959-19-0
• OCLC: 478175

Key Points

• The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book was published in 1954
• It is one of the bestselling cookbooks of all time
• The cookbook is a mix of autobiography and recipes
• Hashish Fudge, a famous recipe from the book, gained popularity
• Toklas’ association with cannabis edibles stems from the success of the recipe

References

• Portland Press Herald, September 18, 2019
• Layla Eplett’s article on the history of Toklas’ Hashish Fudge on Scientific American blogs

External Links

• Janet Malcolm’s article ‘The odd couple’ in The Guardian
• Alice B. Toklas’ reading from The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book on Verve Records via Pacifica Radio Archives
• Alice B. Toklas reads Brion Gysin’s hashish fudge recipe from the cookbook

Gertrude Stein’s Works

• ‘Three Lives’ (1909)
• ‘The Making of Americans’ (1925)
• ‘Paris France’ (1940)
• ‘Ida: A Novel’ (1941)
• ‘The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas’

The Alice B. Toklas Cook Book Data Sources