THE FAMOUS RECIPE BOOK

1961 edition

The classic South African recipe book Kook en Geniet was first privately published in 1951 by S.J.A. (Ina) de Villiers, after commercial publishers weren't interested in the 700 recipes manuscript. The first English edition, Cook and Enjoy It was published in 1961, also privately published. In 1961, Kook en Geniet was published by Central News Agency (CNA), and from 1972 by Human & Rousseau.

In 1990 Human & Rousseau obtained the production and marketing rights of the Afrikaans edition. The 1992 edition was a revised edition with a new look and incorporated the use of modern kitchen appliances such as microwaves and food processors in many recipes. Some recipes were newly tested and rewritten in an easier-to-follow style. Although a few recipes were edited and replaced, it retained the essence of Ina de Villiers' classic.

In 2009 Human & Rousseau published an updated and revised edition. Eunice van der Berg, the author's daughter, was in charge of the process. This edition returned to a format more in line with the original edition, but also incorporated a modern approach and look. Amongst the changes was a truncated title for the English edition, Cook and Enjoy. By 2005, about 500,000 copies of Kook en Geniet had been sold. When Ina passed away on 20 September 2010, more than a million copies of her books had been sold, making it the most successful South African recipe book to date. The book has never been out of print.

A children’s edition was also published, and co-authored with Eunice. In 2017, the iconic recipe book got its cooking TV show, Kook en Geniet, where the presenter visited a variety of South Africans in their kitchens to find out how the book influenced their cooking.

The 1972 edition only had 4 colour photos, and the rest were black & white. The books' photos, through the years, tell a story of interior decor and style in the South African house. Thousands of South African women grew up learning cooking from her books - in the early years, no bride in an Afrikaans family was married without a gift of the book. 

SJA de Villiers

Stoffelina Johanna Adriana (Ina) de Villiers was born on 24 February 1919 in Boshof, the middle daughter of Johannes Zacharias (Jan) van Schalkwyk and Eunice (Ina) Mehetabeel Ferreira. She was named after her grandfather, Stoffel Johannes Adriaan. The family lived in Pastorie Street in Boshof, where Ina grew up with her sisters, Louisa Talia and Hester Eliza. Their father was a teacher and later a school inspector and their mother was a housewife involved in community groups. 

The girls matriculated from Rooidakskool (Boshof Gekombineerde Skool). Ina’s father wanted her to study medicine, but after a few weeks at the University of Pretoria in 1937, she decided to change course. She moved to the University of Stellenbosch to study Home Economics. After graduating, she taught at Oranje Meisieskool in Bloemfontein for a year, before taking a job with the Department of Agriculture in Pretoria. 

Ina met her husband, Jacob (Japie) Eliza de Villiers (1912-1990) at a tennis match in Pretoria. He was a geologist with the Geological Survey Office in Pretoria. The newlywed couple were featured on the front page of Die Volksblad in February 1945. Ina suffered a miscarriage late in her first pregnancy, and to help her recover, Japie encouraged her to write a book. At the time, Ina's job involved travel by train to rural communities where she gave Home Economics lessons but realised that cooking lessons were more needed, so she started writing a cooking and kitchen guide - from how to measure ingredients, oven's best use, preparing vegetables and meat, to how to freeze food. She spent a year writing and learnt to type. When commercial publishers weren't interested in the manuscript, Japie decided they would publish it themselves, with Prof. Mattie Jooste of Stellenbosch as an adviser. They found a printer, Kaap en Transvaal Printers, who let Ina go in every day to help with the typesetting. Japie sold his gold shares and used the money to publish the book in April 1951. Marketing was done by word of mouth and mailing letters to bookshops. The book was mostly sold via mail order from their home in Marais Street, Brooklyn, Pretoria, for 23 shillings.

SJA de Villiers

Four years later, Eunice was born, and Heleen two years later. Ina spent her days working on the book and sales. The family's meals were mostly cooked by a domestic helper. Ina retired from her publishing business in 1990. Japie had retired at 55 and loved travelling. He died on 27 September 1990 at age 78, three days before returning from his long-awaited trip to China. Ina moved to the Azalea Court Old Age Home in Stellenbosch and died at age 91 on 20 September 2010 after battling dementia. 

Eunice van der Berg followed in her mother’s footsteps, studying Home Economics. Her husband is an Economics Professor at the University of Stellenbosch. They have two sons, Willem and Servaas, who live in the USA. Their daughter, Ineke, lives in Stellenbosch. 

Japie's favourite pudding

This classic self-saucing citrus dessert is from the original edition - Japie se Gunsteling. He had to test Ina’s recipes, and declared this his favourite, earning the recipe’s title. 

2 eggs

250 ml sugar

62 ml flour

250 ml milk

187 ml orange juice

12,5 ml lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon (finely grated)

25 ml melted butter

Beat the egg yolks well and fold in the sugar.

Add the flour and milk.

Add the juice, zest and melted butter and fold in the whisked egg white.

Pour the batter into a greased baking dish.

Place the baking dish in a large baking pan filled with about an inch of hot water.

Bake at 180ºC until golden or for about 45 minutes.

Serve with cream or ice cream.