The Rainbow Nation Cookery Guide

Brent Abrahams, Pumla Brook-Thomae

Description

The Rainbow Nation Cookery Guide. A compiled collection of traditional South African recipes and stories as told by twelve chefs. Each chef representing their own ethnic cuisines including Zulu, Indian, Xhosa, Cape Malay, Afrikaans, San, Southern Sotho, English, Tsonga, Northern Sotho Pedi, Ndebele, and Swati dishes. The initiative, a collaboration with the chefs and Rotary e-Club of greater Cape Town. All contributing to the benefit of South African poverty relief funding and community projects.

Sujets

• La cuisine et son histoire
• Cooking

Informations

• Publié par: Digital On Demand
• Date de parution: 24 mars 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780620887755
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 9 Mo

Extrait

The

RAINBOW NATION COOKERY GUIDE

Compiled by Pumla Brook -Thomae and Brent Abrahams

FIRST EDITION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Rotary eClub of Greater Cape Town

Design and layout: Wempic photography and design

Photography: Brent Abrahams

Artefacts: William Raats for the Zulu, Ndebele and Xhosa private collectables


The private collector for English artefacts

Recipes and stories: All the RNCG Chefs

The support team: Lynette Stassen

Dr Rainer Thomae

Mbasa Brook



Koos Myburgh

Juliet Mercia Adams

Copyright

ISBN number: 978-0-620--88774-8

ISBN Ebook number: 978-0-620-88775-5

Official website: www.rainbownationcooking.co.za

2

Photograph: UKHAMBA (beer pot) with decorative detail and typical black patina.
Zulu cuisine


9

Indian cuisine

18

Xhosa cuisine

25

Cape Malay cuisine

36

Afrikaans / Boere cuisine
48
Contents

The San/Xun way of life

56

Basotho cuisine
68

English cuisine


76

Tsonga cuisine

88

Northern Sotho Pedi cuisine

98

Ndebele cuisine

106

Swati cuisine 114

3
4
Rotary E-Club of Greater Cape Town

Why does our cookery guide refer to the Rainbow Nation? Because the title

Rainbow Nation, captures the country’s cultural and ethnic diversity.

This cookery guide adds to that colourful image by capturing the cultural

cuisine of our South Africa population through the shared recipes of our 12

chefs from our South African cultures.

In the 1990s, the then Archbishop of Cape Town, Reverend Emeritus Des
-

mond Mpilo Tutu, sometimes asked in big meetings: “Raise your hands”.

Then he said: “Move your hands”. And then: “Look at your hands – the dif
-

ferent colours representing different people. You are the Rainbow People...”.

Our beloved President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela loved that phrase and fre
-

quently described South Africa as the Rainbow Nation. One of his sayings

that resonates with this book is that ”each of us are infinity attached to the

soil of this beautiful country like the jacaranda trees of Pretoria and the

mimosa trees of the bushveld. A Rainbow Nation at peace with itself and

the world.”

The Rainbow Nation Cookery Guide is full of recipes to guide readers. It’s

not just read but also taste and enjoy the delights of cultural eating.

Happy reading; eating; learning and enjoying this unique cultural book with

a difference.

Rainbow Hugs

Lynette Stassen - President of the E-Club of Greater Cape Town 2021-2022.

5
Preface

Since I was a little girl, I have always found

food to be fascinating. At age 13 I baked

my first bread. Surprisingly, I ventured into

acting; however food was still part of my

life whether making it or talking about it,

around family and in the public sphere. Rec
-

ipe development, menu-making and cook
-

book writing seem to fulfil a hunger inside

me.

After I published my first cookbook I real
-

ly found my identity as a cook. My second

cookbook - Family Food Simplified - is a book

dedicated to my Mom and a homage to the

dishes that I grew up eating. Only then did

I discover my passion - simple family-style

food that appeals to the South African pal
-

ate, injected with global flavours. To pursue

that I needed to go back to my roots. But

culture does not exist in isolation and ac
-

By Pumla Brook-Thomae
knowledging other cultures were the way to

go, while still learning about my own. I soon

realised how little has been documented

about South African foods both locally and

on the global scene.

The Rainbow Nation Cookery Guide (RNCG)

is the answer I was looking for. I’m certain I

speak for many South Africans here. It offers

an all-inclusive South African cookery guide

which can be a blueprint for generations to

come. A journey through our country, it fea
-

tures our unique cuisines and our diverse

people. The RNCG is a quest to put South

African foods on the global map, with the

help of 11 different chefs who share their

culture and food. This book preserves those

authentic South African dishes which have

nourished us for years. It gives them the

respect they deserve. This book shows the

world there is more to us as South Africans

6
than our divided past – and what better way
ple options so you do not miss out on great

to do this than through food?
South African food.

The RNCG is an epitome of simplicity. Some
For a more exotic experience, mopani

recipes require as few as two ingredients to
worms are a delicacy from the Limpopo

make a meal. It really does not get any sim
-
Province, amadumbe from King-Shaka Prov
-

pler than that. Yes you can expect foreign in
-
ince and porcupine stomach from the San.

gredients here and there but do not despair
The Bushman culture boasts recipes that not

- a detailed South African glossary is provid
-
only nourish but which are believed to carry

ed to help you navigate this book with ease
healing properties.

and substitutions are offered for those in
-
Maybe you have a sensitive gut and could

gredients you might find difficult to source.
use gut-friendly options. Well, I am excited

This cooking guide boasts a wholesome
to let you know this book is truly as all-in
-

cooking experience ca
-
clusive as its title sug
-
A

tering for every dietary
gests. You can look

fusion of cuisines,

need. Most of the dish
-
forward to fermented

es are based on South
traditions, and crafts
options for breakfast,

Africa’s popular staples
drinks and more.

that has influenced our

such as grains, samp,
Each chapter of this

maize-rice, maize meal
book offers a unique
South African way of

or miliemiel, sorghum,
culinary experience

cooking.

groundnuts and rice.
from each of the fea
-

You can take comfort
tured cultures. But

in dishes made with
that is not all - some

your regular favourite
of the techniques that

vegetables but expect exotic options as well,
were used in the past are showcased in this

such as edible weeds. Umfino/morogo re
-
book to give you a glimpse of just how far

fers to a combination of edible weeds eaten
we have come as a Rainbow Nation.

as a side or used as a foundation for a lot of
I could go on and on but I’ll leave it here for

indigenous dishes.
now. Enjoy the taste of South Africa on a

For meat lovers, we have barbecued ribs,
plate. May it inspire you to read this book

Sotho bashed beef and beef stew. We’ve got
and learn more about my country. May the

you covered with the ever popular Sunday
dishes presented in this book ignite your

roast chicken, free-range home-bred chick
-
taste buds in unexpected ways because you

en and chicken curry.
were brave enough to try something new.

For the meat-free eater, our vegetarian
To all the chefs and cooks who contribut
-

mains, sides and soups feature wild leaves
ed their recipes and shared their culinary

such as pumpkin leaves, cassava leaves, mo
-
journey in making this offering, I am forever

rogo, legumes, bambara nuts, dried fruits
grateful. Together we did it! Here’s to our

and veggies. An array of dishes offering am
-
shared love for our Rainbow Nation Food!

7
2.

1.
3.

Historical Zulu kitchen utensils: (1) ITUNGA (milk pail). (2) UKHAMBA (beer pot), beautiful
-

ly decorated with a typical black patina. 3. IMBENGI (grass lid) with beadwork.

8
Zulu cuisine
Recipes inspired from the Kwa-Zulu Natal region.

With its rich history and culture, the Zulu na-
A crumbly and fl uff y variati on of cooked

ti on is the most extensively represented in
maize is called uphuthu. It is the mainstay of

South Africa.
Zulu cuisine and is a dish that holds its own

as a meal in one or as a side dish. Uphuthu

Some traditi ons are recognized worldwide,
has many variati ons, including adding beans

like the dance (indlamu) performed by Zulu
to create isigwaqane.

men in their traditi onal atti re. Their art and

craft s, like their decorati ve woven grass bas-
Another variant to the recipe is adding

kets and clay beer vessels called ukhamba,
pumpkin to make isijingi. A comforti ng,

are also sought aft er by internati onal collec-
slightly sweet dish qualifying as a porridge

tors.
but tasti ng pudding-like once sugar and but-

ter are added.

Historically, Zulu people worked the land

to sustain themselves and grew crops like
Uphuthu is also oft en a side dish to many

maize (umbila). Maize sti ll remains the foun-
meat dishes such as isityu stew or wilted

dati on of most meals and popular Zulu bev-
wild greens such as wild spinach (imbhuya).

erages.

There are many similariti es between Zulu

An example of one of the Zulu maize dishes
cuisine and Xhosa cuisine. Uphuthu nama-

is umdokwe, a porridge made from milled
si, like African maize beer, is an example of

dry maize (impuphu). It is enjoyed for break-
this.

fast, someti mes with sugar and milk. It is

also fermented to make a drinking porridge
Other staple foods include bread. The Zulu

called amahewu.
people traditi onally make bread in various

ways, like ujeqe, a steamed bread made

Other traditi onal beverages include African
from whole steamed fl our and idombolo,

beer called umqombothi. It is made from
fl our bread steamed over a stew.

maize and brewed using traditi onal cus-

toms. These customs vary slightly between
The Zulu nati on prides itself on simple cook-

regions. Traditi onally umqombothi is served
ing techniques that produce tasty dishes.

in a clay beer pot called ukhamba. These
Their love for food and its preparati on is

clay vessels are examples of the design and
also evident in their adorned historic uten-

decorati on of food and beverage utensils in
sils for food collecti on and preparati on. Cre-

the Zulu culture. Design, just like methods of
ated from necessity, these have to become

cooking, have evolved over the yea