Frikkadels or frikadelle – my dictionary offers meatballs or rissoles as an alternative. Now I don’t readily disagree with lofty tomes but, well, balderdash. Because for me a meatball can be any size, made of any meat, and contain pretty much anything in addition to the meat. And that folks, is not a frikkadel. Nope, to be a true frikkadel, [...]
Chakalaka – it’s as fun to say as it is to eat. Now if you’re a halfway self-respecting South African, you’ll know what this is. But for the benefit of my readers in farflung places, it can best be described as an African relish, eaten most especially with ‘pap’ (kinda like polenta) and meat at a ‘braai’ (barbeque). Chakalaka recipes [...]
‘It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s the….’ You were singing that weren’t you? That’s OK because it’s perfectly acceptable to be nuts about Christmas. I am. Now I know Christmas is not about the bright lights, the pressies and the parties. But I really, really do so love the build up to and the bling that is [...]
Shop-bought biscuits were not something I knew as a kid. Oh no, one baked. Being a diplomatic sort, gran never said it outright, but her inference was pretty clear: buying was for lazy wives, bad mums and townfolk. The world has moved on a bit since then. I figure gran would probably have been OK with me going the shop [...]
There are many dishes I feel deeply nostalgic about. Sunday leg of lamb, invariably followed by souskluitjies. Tongue in a sweet mustard sauce, mum’s dinner party ol’ faithful. Gran’s chicken pie and Ideal Milk ice cream. This is the food of my childhood and, as much as I like cooking lighter, more modern for everyday, it’s still the food I [...]
“Two nations separated by a common language…” Whether you credit George Bernard Shaw for this witticism about England and America or my all-time favourite, Oscar Wilde, what I can tell you is that my personal travel experiences in the US of A confirm this. Here in ‘Sefarika’ we tend to go with the Queen’s English, albeit with what some call [...]