Biltong, Braaivleis, Bobotie and Potjiekos
Mouth-watering smells drifting over from the braai fire where the boerewors, chops and T-bone steaks sizzle. The Braai, or South African barbecue is a tradition combining all people all over the country. It is a social occasion, a get together to talk about the latest rugby match , a way to celebrate life with a beer in one hand while watching the meat over the fire, killing any flame that might try and score the meat with a swash of beer, which improves the taste of the meat as any kid will be able to tell you.
A close second, the traditional Potjiekos. Also made and eaten under the blue South African sky this is a one-pot dish cooked in a three-legged cast iron pot over a fire. The art of the Potjiekos is that the ingredients are layered in the pot at different times according to time needed to cook, nobody is allowed to stir while cooking and it takes approximately at least two hours of slow simmering till the food is ready to eat.
Bobotie is a dish of Malay origin, also traditional to South Africa in which oriental spices are mixed lamb, beef or fish mince , topped with almonds and a savoury custard mix and baked in the oven. Biltong is air dried meat, mostly game or beef, originally made by the Voortrekkers to preserve their meat on their long ox wagon trips into the interior of the country. Nowadays it is eaten by everybody and can be bought everywhere, in a dozen different flavours like garlic and chilli.
This was just a very short glimpse into the South African kitchen to wet your appetite. Just to make you curious .. it is well worth further investigation, believe me!
