Writing and Photos by Sophie Leopold
While the Savannah Book Festival turns thirteen in 2020, an honored guest of this year is going on ninety. Since 1931, the “Joy of Cooking” has established an enduring presence in American kitchens.
Irma S. Rombauer is remembered as the founding matriarch, but it’s her descendants who continue to explore the culinary world she created. Marion Rombauer Becker, second cook to wear the crown of “Joy,” took up writing and revision in the sixties. Today, the driving force is Rombauer Becker’s great grandson, John Becker, in partnership with Megan Scott. Becker and Scott devoted most of the last decade to refreshing the pages of “Joy.”Their work on the latest version touts 600 new recipes and more than 4,000 updated classics.
“Joy” began as a guide for home cooks, written by home cooks. For Becker and Scott, the stance remains at the core recipe of development, writing and testing.
“It all starts from home,” Becker said. “We are not translating from professional practice, or even professionals telling you the best way to cook. Not an authoritative figure, but maybe a bit autorotative.”
Becker and Scott describe this new book’s early stages as a recipe genealogy project. Tracing recipes back to their origins gave the authors a historical sense of where the book had been. This process helped them identify known dishes “Joy” didn’t include recipes for. When deciding on what to keep, change, or add, each recipe came with its own set of unique terms.
“Some older recipes were light on detail of how to get from A to B,” Scott said.
According to Becker, recipes dating before 1951 were often light on instructions. The new “Joy” team focused on clarification, and illuminating steps overlooked in previous editions.
French Leek Tart, page 163 in the new “Joy of Cooking”
In addition to modernizing directions, the ingredients reflect an ever-evolving food culture.
“The number of ingredients we are comfortable calling for has expanded dramatically,” Becker said. “We were able to make a lot of changes based on what’s become available within the last 10 years. It is hard to generalize what’s easy to get across the board, but we try to talk about what we think you will be able to access.”
Yet, some things never change. At “Joy” it’s the photo free policy Irma and Marion instated from day one. The founders omitted photos in favor of timelessness, knowing the visual aesthetics of food are subject to trends. Cooking without an end goal image may seem daunting, but the authors make a case for leaning into creativity.
“We both envision ‘Joy of Cooking’ as a book you learn to cook from, photos can distract from a meaningful experience,” Scott said. “Developing your own style in the kitchen begins the confidence of cooking without a recipe.”
From the beginning, “Joy” never caved to popular pressure, instead forming a league of its own.
“The way we fit into the market place in differentiated,” Becker said. “There’s lots of online sources for inspiration, Instagram, New York Times Cooking. But with all of those sources, there’s going to be some gaps, questions unanswered. It’s not their fault, who else has the space for all of this material? We don’t replace all of your other cookbooks, only supplement them.”
Find the latest printing of “Joy” wherever cookbooks are sold. Still hungry for more? Join the Becker and Scott at Trustees Theatre on Sunday, February 16 for their closing address. Tickets available for purchase at the Savannah Box Office.
