Naumann - A Taste of South Africa Our 100 top recipes presented in one cookbook

A Taste of
South Africa Many years ago, there evolved in South Africa a style of cooking that in Europe has become trendy under the name fusion cuisine: the mixture of African cooking with European and Asian flavours. Travel with us across the beautiful South African continent and discover the full diversity of Cape cuisine: from baba ghanoush and Cape Malay bobotie with raisins and chicken potjie, to koeksisters with sugar syrup. A Taste of
South Africa Naumann & Gbel Verlagsgesellschaft mbH
a subsidiary of VEMAG Verlags- und Medien Aktiengesellschaft
Emil-Hoffmann-Strae 1, 50996 Cologne (Germany)
www.vemag-medien.de
Recipe photographs: TLC Fotostudio
Cover photograph: TLC Fotostudio
Translation from German: Andrew Brown, in association with First Edition Translations Ltd, Cambridge
Complete production: Naumann & Gbel Verlagsgesellschaft mbH
All rights reserved
ISBN 978-3-8155-8764-5 Contents

The best from three continents: Europe and Asia meet at the southern tip of the African continent Centuries ago, a style of cooking established itself in South Africa, in so-called Cape cuisine, that has recently become very fashionable in Europe under the label fusion cuisine. This is a mixture of classic European cuisine with exotic flavours and Asian cooking style. Immigrants from Indonesia, the so-called Cape Malays, shaped the modern culinary style of South Africa, and Indian immigrants contributed their own preference for curries, chutneys and samosas. If we add the influences of Dutch and French cuisine, it is not surprising that in South Africa the typical potjies, the stews of the Boers, are flavoured with Malay spices, ostrich and antelope meat is fried quickly in European style, and wine is drunk with Indian satays.

South African cuisine combines in a simple, independent-minded way, influences from the three continents of Europe, Asia and Africa and has developed into an extremely tasty and, above all, varied cuisine. Ideal for a quick bite to eat: snacks from the multicultural Cape cuisine South African snacks are often quite simple and straightforward. They range from simple jerky appetisers to delicious kebabs and tasty filled samosas derived from Indian cuisine, particularly popular in the Durban area. Prime examples of African slow food: bredies and potjies Bredie is the generic term for the typical South African meat and vegetable stews. They are often to be found on menus, for the supply of fresh vegetables, fish, meat and seafood is plentiful and of excellent quality. What could be better than to serve up this bounty in a nutritious stew or a fine soup? Curry, coconut milk, mint and peanut butter give a dish its unique flavour.

Traditionally, potjies the dishes are named after the cookware are cooked in a cast-iron three-legged saucepan, the potjeko, over an open fire. In making these dishes, people followed, to a great extent, well-known recipes from Europe, but enriched them with other ingredients, especially game and poultry. The addition of ostrich or warthog turned many classics of European cuisine into novel dishes containing all the exotic magic of South Africa. Delights from the Garden of Eden:there is no shortage of fresh salad and vegetables in South Africa Garden Route is the name given to Route 62 between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, and indeed a veritable Garden of Eden stretches out to left and right of the road. The sub-tropical climate and fertile soils are ideal for growing vegetables, salad and fruit. In the Western Cape, between vineyards, citrus and apple orchards, mange-tout, beans, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots grow in abundance.

Moroho, a wild, spinach-like vegetable that can be used as a salad green, also grows here. Salads are popular summer meals. They are often served with a dressing of crushed, hard-boiled egg yolks, red wine vinegar, oil, a little mustard, salt and sugar. The pillars of South African cuisine: chutneys and sauces Actually chatni in Hindi means to lick and this really fits the fruity, sweet and sour, and sometimes fiery hot, chutneys which are eaten in the Cape with almost everything. The South Africans dunk grilled meat or fish into the bitter preserve, stir it into their stews or dip their favourite snack, biltong, into it. The most famous chutney is Mrs Balls, which you can buy ready prepared in bottles.

The homemade version is of course even more delicious: ripe fruits or vegetables are cooked for hours with sugar, vinegar and aromatic spices to make a thick jam. The tendency is to cook large quantities which can then be stored. Chutneys develop their full flavour only after a few days storage in cool dark rooms. Even the South African sauces, served with grilled meats, rice and vegetables, are based on fruity flavours. They are flavoured with nuts and Asian spices such as coriander, chilli and curry powder and are thus an essential part of Cape Malay cuisine. Only a few exceptions, such as the typical sauce made from sweetcorn and okra, are derived from the original cuisine of the indigenous population.

Cape cuisine offers a wealth of meat specialities Meat, game and poultry dishes feature in abundance in South African menus, in every conceivable variation and always of the best quality. In the Cape of Good Hope, farming as we know it in Europe is virtually unheard of, and animals either run wild or live on huge pastures. This applies to cattle, lamb and goat as well as ostrich, springbok, kudu and buffalo. Venison specialities in particular are exotic and tasty. The descendants of the Boers love savoury meat: air-dried biltong; the rich, spicy country-style sausage called boerewors; and stews with lots of meat. Sausages, lamb steaks and lobsters they taste best grilled! However different eating habits, cultural practices, and social and economic disparities in South Africa may be, the whole country is united about one thing: its love of braai.

Braai is the short form of braaivleis, meaning grilled meat. No matter where youre travelling on a Sunday, the smell of grilled meat wafts in the air and fills the senses. The South Africans grill everywhere: on pavements, in the garden, at the cricket ground or in the backyard. And they never grill alone, but with the whole family or with friends. Braai is therefore not only the most popular type of cooking in the country, but always also a social event. With braai, the glow of the embers matters In Europe, we tend to view grilling as a fast method of preparation, but this is alien to South Africans.

Even the glow of the embers takes careful preparation in the Cape, because it is not produced with charcoal but wood, which needs to burn until a uniform glow has developed. So it can take hours until the meat is placed on the grill. As the grilling stretches over a long period of time, socialising is at a premium. While the men take charge of the grilling and the women prepare the sauces and side dishes, they chat over a cool drink, leaving fish, meat, sausages and kebabs to sizzle along appetisingly.

South Africa a dream for lovers of fish and seafood The unique location of South Africa, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans converge, accounts for the abundance of fish in the region. Huge shoals form off the coasts: herring and mackerel, hake and pilchards.

The Atlantic Ocean along the west coast is one of the richest stretches of water in the world. There, in the Cape and the big cities, fish is consumed in vast quantities, often appearing on the menu under the heading fish line, meaning catch of the day. Especially popular is the dense, low-fat meat of the Kingklip or cusk eel. Among the delicacies of the country is the Snoek (pike) which is particularly suitable for grilling because of its fat-rich meat. Oysters, crayfish, abalone shellfish and seafood are much in demand As is the case with fish, the selection of seafood on offer is also more than ample. When in season in South African coastal towns, crayfish is usually the only thing that is served in restaurants.

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