AUGUSTA, GA – As we got to press, Trevor Immelman leads the 2008 Masters by six shots with just four holes to play. With Amen Corner behind him, it looks like Augusta National officials will be grabbing a size 40 regular for the ceremony at the Butler Cabin. Immelman will be the second South African champion and, even more astounding, he’ll go wire-to-wire, no mean feat at Augusta.
South African Lobster tails would go over well for dinner next year, paired with some of the regions excellent wines. There are also other seafood choices like salt cod and crayfish. Sometimes locals make fish pates as well. Experts in South African cuisine offered some other suggestions:
“Bobotie, the mainstay of the Boers, is a “pie” of chopped beef or lamb mixed with raisins, almonds, apple, and curry powder, and topped with a custard—not exactly the bland fare of England. Frikkadels, or little hamburgers that are subtly seasoned with nutmeg, are popular as well. They are sometimes wrapped in cabbage leaves and served with yellow rice, a cousin to West Africa’s jollof rice. Other popular meat dishes include Bredie, or stew. These “one-pot meals” contain mutton and vegetables.
Curries—sweet, mild, or hot—are popular, and served with sambals (chopped vegetables), atjar (pickles), or blatjang (chutney). Each of these is evidence of the Indian and Asian influences on this multi-cultural cuisine. The atjar and blatjang “condiments” are made with local fruits cooked with garlic, hot chile peppers, onions, and often curry powder, and then pickled to some degree. Some of the Eastern-influenced sambals are prepared with vegetables such as carrots and cucumbers.
Local vegetables that play an important role in South African cooking include tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, cabbage, mealies (corn), and pumpkin. Fruits such as quince, peaches, mangoes, citrus, apricots, grapes, pomegranates, and melons are eaten fresh, dried, and also preserved . The naartjie is a variety of indigenous tangerine from which a regional liqueur, Van der Hum, is made. Because of the mild climate, almost all vegetables and fruits that were not native to South Africa were introduced successfully to this fertile land. Thus produce is common in this diet, which adds a fresh and incomparable quality to this diverse cuisine.
One cannot read a South African menu without noticing the obvious Dutch, or Afrikaner, culinary presence. This is especially the case with baked goods such as the desserts that are an integral part of a South African meal. With names like Soetkoekies and Krakelinge and Klappertert, it’s easy to see the influence from Holland, even though this sister-country is thousands of miles away.
Drinks served with a South African meal can include a native beer called mechow made from a fermented, corn-based brew. If wine is preferred, the Cape vineyards produce a variety of internationally acclaimed wines, from Muscadel to Burgundy and Cabernet Sauvignon.”
Hat tip: Global Gourmet
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