Cook and Enjoy It is the English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 version of the original Afrikaans

Afrikaans

Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...

 cookbook Kook en Geniet, which became known as the definitive cookbook representing authentic South African food culture and heritage. Kook en Geniet was originally published by S.J.A. de Villiers in 1951 in her private capacity after South African publishers expressed disinterest.

Cook and Enjoy It was published by the Central News Agency in 1961, and from 1972 onwards by Human & Rousseau when the Central News Agency withdrew from publishing.

In 1990 Human & Rousseau obtained the rights to the production and marketing of the Afrikaans edition, resulting in a completely revised edition in 1992 with a new appearance for both the Afrikaans and English versions. The new edition attempted to retain the character of the original book's more than 700 recipes and basic cooking principles, having incorporated the use of modern kitchen appliances such as microwaves and food processors in many recipes.

For the revised 1992 edition, some recipes were newly-tested and rewritten in what was perceived to be an easy-to-follow style. Although a few recipes were edited and replaced, the intention was to retain the spirit and essence of Ina de Villiers's great South African classic.

In 2009 Human & Rousseau published a new, updated and revised edition of the book. Eunice van der Berg, a daughter of the author, was in charge of the whole process of revitalizing the book. This edition returned to a format more in line with the original edition, but also incorporated a modern approach and feel. Amongst the changes was a truncated title for the English edition: Cook and Enjoy.

S.J.A de Villiers died on 20 September 2010, at the age of 91.

In 2005 it was estimated that over half a million Afrikaans copies had been sold. At the time of the author's death, sales in both languages far exceeded a million copies, making it the most successful South African cookbook ever.

See also

• Bobotie
  Bobotie
  Bobotie is a South African dish consisting of spiced minced meat baked with an egg-based topping. The recipe is likely to have originated from the Dutch East India Company colonies in Batavia, with the name derived from the Indonesian Bobotok. Afterwards, it was taken to South Africa and adopted...
  
  
• Waterblommetjiebredie
  Waterblommetjiebredie
  Waterblommetjiebredie is a stew. The name comes from the Afrikaans language and literally means 'small water flower stew'. It is made of meat, typically lamb, stewed together with the waterblommetjies which are found in the dams and marshes of the Western Cape of South Africa...
  
  
• Tomato bredie
  Tomato bredie
  A South African stew, referred to in Afrikaans as 'tamatiebredie', normally made with mutton, is cooked for a very long time, and its seasonings include cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cloves as well as chilli. It is of Dutch origin. "Bredie" is the Afrikaans word for "stew". Bredie is actually a...
  
  
• Melktert
  Melktert
  Meaning "milk tart" in Afrikaans, melktert is a South African dessert. It is a sweet pastry crust containing a creamy filling made from milk, flour, sugar and eggs. The ratio of milk to egg is higher than in a traditional European custard tart or Chinese egg tart, resulting in a lighter texture...
  
  
• Koeksister

External links

• Human & Rousseau homepage
• [n Lewe met boeke, deur Koos Human, Human & Rousseau, 2006]