SOUTH AFRICAN CULINARY HERITAGE
The book South African Culinary Heritage by Eunice Rakhale, is about local food history and traditions interlaced with family conversations. It illustrates the culinary diversity of Southern African cuisine and some neighbouring countries, comparing the similarities and unique palatable heritages thereof. Written in a conversational style, the book is a handy culinary compilation which will bestow the reader with explorations regarding local African lifestyles history, art, clothing, music and perhaps even some song and dance. For tourists visiting these African countries – possessing a diversity of ethnic cultures, it is a worthy read regarding heritage and of-course African cuisine. A guide which should be included in any tourist’s travel pack and families. It is about a genuine story told with an extraordinary ability that draws parallel between the author’s struggle in the restaurant industry and in her personal life. Ultimately, her passion for food is where she finds solace to learn, heal and grow. Mother Daughter relationships can be extremely complex and Eunice is no exception. In the book, besides a plethora of authentic recipes and history, she shares candidly about her strained relationship with her daughter Mothei Makhetha. Being estranged for seven years, Mothei writes her mother a letter, in a desperate cry for help, which she hopes will begin the healing process. After receiving the letter, circumstances of her life took Eunice back home to her mother in Moletsane, Soweto. This happens while she is researching her culinary book authenticating the recipes through the help of her mother. This handing down of recipes from her mother gets them connected on a very deep level, thus, creating compassion and trust they never had. In desperation Eunice seeks counselling from her own mother to try and mend the relationship with her daughter. Their journey is one of true and sincere conversations handed down from one generation to another, around family meals and prayerful family meetings.
The book South African Culinary Heritage by Eunice Rakhale, is about local food history and traditions interlaced with family conversations. It illustrates the culinary diversity of Southern African cuisine and some neighbouring countries, comparing the similarities and unique palatable heritages thereof. Written in a conversational style, the book is a handy culinary compilation which will bestow the reader with explorations regarding local African lifestyles history, art, clothing, music and perhaps even some song and dance. For tourists visiting these African countries – possessing a diversity of ethnic cultures, it is a worthy read regarding heritage and of-course African cuisine. A guide which should be included in any tourist’s travel pack and families.
It is about a genuine story told with an extraordinary ability that draws parallel between the author’s struggle in the restaurant industry and in her personal life. Ultimately, her passion for food is where she finds solace to learn, heal and grow.
Mother Daughter relationships can be extremely complex and Eunice is no exception. In the book, besides a plethora of authentic recipes and history, she shares candidly about her strained relationship with her daughter Mothei Makhetha. Being estranged for seven years, Mothei writes her mother a letter, in a desperate cry for help, which she hopes will begin the healing process. After receiving the letter, circumstances of her life took Eunice back home to her mother in Moletsane, Soweto. This happens while she is researching her culinary book authenticating the recipes through the help of her mother. This handing down of recipes from her mother gets them connected on a very deep level, thus, creating compassion and trust they never had. In desperation Eunice seeks counselling from her own mother to try and mend the relationship with her daughter.
Their journey is one of true and sincere conversations handed down from one generation to another, around family meals and prayerful family meetings.
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South African Culinary Heritage
Black Bream (Galjoen) is South Africa’s national fish.
This is a powerful swimmer and keeps mostly to shallow
waters, and is often found in rough surf and sometimes right
next to the shore. In KwaZulu-Natal, this fish is known as
Blackfish or Black Bream. It bears the remarkably dusky
colours on the head and the immense shiny scales.
Kingklip is one of the well-liked fish in South Africa. This
type of fish is caught in the deep waters of South Africa,
occurring mostly on the rocky grounds, hence the moniker
of the king of the rock fish. Because it is a relatively slow
growing fish and cannot sustain a targeted fishery, catches
are restricted to a precautionary catch limit of 3 000 tons per
year. It is for this reason that Kingklip is also managed as a
by-catch species. A by-catch is a fish that is often caught
unintentionally while catching certain target species and
target sizes of fish or crabs.
Kabeljou is a much sought-after fish during the months of
October, through to April.
FOCUS ON INDIGENOUS GRAIN
Maize is NOT South Africa’s indigenous grain. It was
imported from South America and has since been
naturalised as our staple food. It is the largest locallyproduced
field crop and the most important source of
carbohydrates in South Africa. Maize is mainly produced in
Free State; 47%, to be precise. As our staple food, maize
accompanies most traditional meals. It comes in various
forms, including Samp, maize bread, maize porridge and the
ever-popular thicker version of maize porridge, known as
Pap.
The street corner corn vendors, with their coal braziers, are
a common sight during the maize season, and they typically
grill the corns on the braziers while the customers are
waiting, with the option of a boiled version.
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