First tastes of South Africa

I knew when we accepted this transfer that we would be exposed to some very different foods.  I'm not overly adventurous when it comes to food, but I was certainly willing to give it a try.  With 3 young children, however, there was always a chance it wouldn't go well.  The other family member I had to consider was the dog.

When we arrived for our look see visit in February we were wined and dined with a Braai just a few short hours after arriving.  A Braai is the preferred method of entertaining friends in South Africa and we got to experience the best of the best.  It was a Sunday evening and a local restaurant owner and chef who takes Sundays off had agreed to Braai for the management staff meet and greet.  A Braai, from what I've been able to figure out is pretty much all about the meat.  First we had prawns, the size of my hand, as an appetizer. Then came the beef tenderloin, chicken, and fish courses.  There was a couscous salad and a greens salad too, but it was really about the meat.  Dh was in heaven.  After a dessert of cupcakes and chocolates we knew that food was not going to be an issue in South Africa.

DS #1 is extremely adventurous when it comes to food.  He loved the prawns.  His favorite breakfast is eggs Benedict (with hollandaise sauce).  Last summer we went for a hike with friends, one of whom is a naturalist with his own outdoor adventure company.  We had a campfire and our friend sharpened a stick and speared a cricket. He roasted it over the campfire for a couple of minutes and said who wants it.  DS #1 was first in line.  He tried a live one too, but says he prefers the nutty flavour of the cooked ones.  Nothing phases this kid, except cooked vegetables :)  I knew DS #1 would not be a problem trying new foods.

DS #2 and DD are a different story.  Not willing to try the crickets they are much more conservative in their food tastes, which was why I insisted on being taken to a grocery store when we visited in February.  From that visit I knew that the staples in South Africa were the same as the staples in Canada and if the two little ones didn't want to try new things, they would be just fine with my tried and true Canadian recipes. 

So far as the dog was concerned I went into a pet food store when we visited in February, too.  I reasoned that if I couldn't find the food he was eating in Canada then I should take note of what was available in South Africa and see if I could find it in Canada.  It turned out that they didn't have the same food we used, but they did have several brands that were common.  So, on returning to Canada I decided to change over his food to one that I could also buy in South Africa.  That way I could slowly make the transition instead of changing his food cold turkey when he arrived.  It worked really well.  Even with the stress of 2 full days of travel and 4 days away from us, he transitioned really well with no stomach issues.

When we finally arrived we tried to keep things as close as possible to our Canadian diet for the family.  We ate out a little bit more in the beginning, because there is only so much you can do with one pot and one frying pan for a family of 5.  Still, we didn't venture past the beef, pork and chicken and the traditional fruits and veggies that we ate in Canada.

By the time we had been here for a month or so, it was time to venture into some of the more South African offerings. 

We started off with the things we were pretty sure would be acceptable to the kids.  Our first foray into traditional South African food came from a local bakery called From the Kitchen.  It's sort of like a consignment shop or co op for baked goods.  Dh was taken there by one of his colleagues and we have found similar shops in various locations about the city.  Women bake sweets and savoury treats in their homes and then bring them to these shops for sale.  Each package has a description of the item, a sell by date, a Member No. and the price.  The member gets a portion of the sale price. 

Dh brought home 2 items that night.  The first were koeksisters (pronounced Coke Sisters).  It comes from the dutch koekje, which means cake.  They are a deep fried, braided dough covered in syrup.  My kids loved them.  They were too sticky and sweet for me.  I much preferred the Hertzoggies.  They are a light, puffy pastry tartlet with apricot jam filling and coconut meringue on top.  Yummy!  I have read that they were named for General Hertzog, former Prime Minister of South Africa. 

This is what they look like.  Hertzoggie on the left, koeksister on the right. 

Next, I think it was boerwors (beef farmers sausage) and biltong (beef or game jerky).  We had varied success with both.  DS #1 was a fan of both, DS #2 neither and DD loved beef biltong, but not the boerwors so much. 

With two successful new food trials and two mixed reviews under our belts we took a bit of a breather before diving into some truly alternative foods.  A few weeks later dh, always a fan of venison back in Canada, brought home some Kudu steaks.  He prepared them on the Braai and we made the mistake of telling the children what they were eating.  DS #1 tried it with enthusiasm, DS #2 and DD not so much.  It was tender and looked like beef, but had a gamier taste like venison. 

Having learned from our mistake of telling the children what they were eating, we decided to try again with stealth Kudu in the form of hamburgers.  DS #2 and DD ate them no problem, and not a comment out of them.  We discovered the trick.  So, with our next try of blesbok (also a game meat) we told them we were having steak, just not what kind of steak.  It was much more gamey than the kudu and they kids noticed right away that it wasn't like Canadian steak and we had to come clean.  I think even dh thought it was a bit too gamey, as it hasn't come home again.

We took a little break from different foods and ventured into different ways to prepare the foods we knew.  So we tried sosaties.  Basically, these are what we would have called shiskabob at home, but they are marinated in thick sauces for hours (or days) before they are cooked.  They come in either pork, chicken, lamb or beef and there is a huge variety of marinade choices.  Those of you who have been following the blog would know that one of them is called Monkey Gland.  After the initial shock of seeing it, I have found it in other stores and in bottled versions for home.  Some butchers have signature marinades and we are trying the ones that sound appetizing to us.  The kids love them, but I think kids would eat just about anything on a stick.

Our most recent new food was served in the form of spaghetti sauce.  The kids were told a few days after what it was that they had eaten.  Nothing too shocking, just ostrich.  Strangely enough, even though ostrich is a bird, it has the look of beef rather than chicken or turkey.  The ground ostrich that I used for the spaghetti sauce looked much more like ground beef than it did ground chicken or turkey, and the taste was much bolder than poultry as well.  They kids loved it.

We have found that butternut squash is an absolute staple here.  It comes in different incarnations from soups to sides and I love a butternut stuffed pasta that they make at Woolies with a rose sauce, spinach and grape tomatoes. Mmmmm good.  The kids still aren't struck on butternut and DS #2 gags every time I serve it, but I'm hopeful that it will grow on them.

I've gone out and purchased a South African cookbook.  It's interesting to read the various ethnic origins that have influenced South African foods.  German can be found in the sausages and schnitzels.  The Dutch are credited with the varied use of vegetables. French settlers influenced the area, by using less fat and using herbs and spices in a more subtle way.  The Malay influence is seen in the various curries and sosaties.  The British brought leavening agents which allowed for "thick cakes" and leavened breads.  The native Khoisan influence is seen in the propensity for meat and the use of mealie (corn).

I'm saving the recipes on page 117 of my cookbook for a really special occasion.  I'm sure that devilled lamb kidneys, ox tongue and brains are best served when, let's say, the Prime Minister comes to visit :)  Of course, if anyone does decide to visit and would like to try a recipes on page 117, I'd be more than willing to prepare brains lightly breaded and fried as the recipe suggests.  Just don't expect me to join you.  I'm not that adventurous.

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