The Art of Eating

The Art of Eating is a Brunanter cookbook written by Antonia Benis and Bertha Kerkhoven. It was published in 1936 by Poseidon Publishers and has since become a standard for classical Brunanter cuisine.

The book
While The Art of Eating was published in 1936, it was the compilation of several materials and some 10 years of work. Antonia Benis (1865-1933) was anaverage housewife who began recording traditional recipes and cooking methods used around Cape Cross from the 1880s to 1910s. Kerkhoven (1887-1964) was a cook and founder of a cooking school in Koningstad who taught many upcoming chefs, as well as creating dishes for a restaurant.

The two were eventually connected in the early 1920s and by 1925 had the idea to produce a "Brunanter cookbook", containing both traditional recipes that had never been published and more contemporary cooking being born in the cities. This, the project for The Art of Eating began, but several issues delayed the work. Benis' age made working more difficult and her death in 1933 nearly stalled the project. But, Kerkhoven continued and eventually Poseidon took enough interest to produce a limited run of 100 copies in 1936. After these sold quickly, a second issue was printed that year. Newer editions have been issued in 1937, 1949, 1955, 1990 and 2008.