Any fans of South African cuisine out there?

Braais featuring boerewors and sosaties ... that fragrant bobotie cooking away in the oven ... potjiekos on the patio ... tamatie bredie in the pot - all wonderful examples of well known South African cooking. Then there's biltong: dried strips of meat eaten as snacks (I once made a special trip to a store that sold biltong in North York just to try some).

South African cuisine is the sort of thing that I've only read about online, since South Africa is so far away from Canada and despite the fact that Toronto clearly has its SA expat community, the culinary aspect doesn't seem to be too loudly advertised around town.

My first experience with sosaties was at the "Below The Belt" MoCool of 2000 at the Goldbergs' place in Michigan. Joel, if you're reading this, I can still picture that plate of sosaties going around, that wonderful curried aroma wafting in the air.

I've been quietly ammassing recipes for tamatie bredie and bobotie over the years, but only once spring and summer hit the northern hemisphere does my virtual SA cookbook come to the fore again: it just seems like so fitting a theme for patio season.

Are there any other fans of SA cuisine here? Anyone know of any good online hotspots to discuss traditional SA cooking?

I'd love to see some South African recipes posted here.

-Paul W.

Me too.

It would also be great to get some South Africans here who might be reading this, including any expats.

Wouldn't biltong be what we think of as jerky?

Wouldn't biltong be what we think of as jerky?

It's close, and certainly analogous, but not identical:

The Epicurious Food Dictionary defines Biltong as:

[BILL-tong]
Developed in South Africa and a staple in many African countries, biltong consists of strips of cured, air-dried beef or game. Though its keeping properties are the same, it is a finer form of jerked meat than American Jerky. The best biltong has been compared to the Prosciutto of Italy.

Source: http://www.3men.com/biltong.htm

If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck... Yep, it's jerky! LOL

Hmmm, much less interest than I thought ... Either that, or I just haven't attracted the attention of many SA forum members yet

Paul

You might like to look at this menu from Delheim winery's restaurant. Its the February one that was in force when I was there.


http://www.delheim.co.za/pdfs2008/A%27l ... 202008.pdf

Paul,

There is a South African bar & grill here in town at which I have planned a wine dinner at the end of this month. On a previous visit, I have already tried their boerewors, or farmer's sausage, and it was tasty if simple. I was angling to try the Free State Braai at the next dinner. Bring on the Pinotage!

http://www.thespringbok.com/menu.html

Bring on the Pinotage!

Amen!

Paul,

There is a South African bar & grill here in town at which I have planned a wine dinner at the end of this month. On a previous visit, I have already tried their boerewors, or farmer's sausage, and it was tasty if simple. I was angling to try the Free State Braai at the next dinner. Bring on the Pinotage!

http://www.thespringbok.com/menu.html

Hey Kriss!!

Welcome! Great to see you here.

And please post the results of the dinner.


Mike