Cooking in her prime

Joy Of Cooking (1931) and literature on food of the 70's

Let me begin by describing my early interaction with food:

From a young age I was drawn to the vibrant pictures of exotic fruits and glazed cakes on random recipe cards and food brochures that I'd stare at with a growing appetite, longing to taste something I had no idea what was made of other than it looked good. The preoccupation with the appearance of food and photogrpahy as an accompaniment to literature, and being aesthetically pleasing to the eye, is something that has long taken precedence over the ingredients lists and methodology, but in dated recipe books it is the latter that makes up the majority of the books. For many young persons such as myself pictures served as an indicator of what the final product should be, what the list of ingredients should amount to; which seriously contrasted with the teachings of my Granny's beaten cookbooks. Though despite their lack of sheen, colour, and glamour that is associated with modern literature on food these books really do hold a place in a library for the sheer amount of etiquette and information that they contain, which seem to have been dismissed from modern cookbooks. Finally! I now know where her disciplines on the order of dining came from!

A selection of Granny's cookbooks

The Titan in the cupboard:Joy of Cooking (1931) by Irma S. Rombauer and her daughter Marion Rombauer Becker, for example, was like a kitchen bible to Granny, but to an ignorant young girl an unattractive book. The title of this book suggests a multitude of recipes to whet your appetite as well as insinuating a degree of pleasure in being domestically educated and honing kitchen skills. In Granny's 1962 copy the dedication is written by Becker, who ironically fits the word "joy" in to her title concluding: "We look forward to a time when our two boys - and their wives - will continue to keep "The Joy" a family affair, as well as an enterprise in which the authors owe no obligation to anyone but themselves - and you." (Dedication)

I use the word 'ironic' because the compilation of recipes, dietary information and minimal illustration allude to a serious nature - the preliminary information given on the aquirement of the recipes and relevant knowledge on various food items hints at the seriousness of a domestic education, as well as making one aware of their balanced diet. For example, the section 'The Foods We Eat' is a detailed account on calories, fats, proteins, carbohydrates and even factory processed food; accompanied by a nutrition board (based on national research) and an extensive calorie chart of cooked, raw and processed foods.

In contrast to contemporary cookbooks that I've read, such as The Humming Bird Bakery Cookbook (2009) which concentrates on more simple and direct information focused on keeping the recipe short, The Joy of Cooking can be read as a strengthened piece of literature that's relevance to the genre of cooking has become imperative that it is still in circulation.

The contrast of visual aesthetics between the aforementioned books isinuates that presentation of food takes precedence over the details of the dishes. The increased use of food illustration and photography, which is supposed to accompany recipes, has fuelled the food fantasies of juvenile cooks such as myslef, but it is not until reading a book like The Joy of Cooking that I am made aware of my ignorance. From the formality of the language, I can just about hear Granny waffling on about the correct seasoning for whatever meat...