I LOVE the month of September.
It’s not my birthday month, but it is the month of sonskyn, blommetjies and of course, it’s Heritage Month.
We all look forward to Heritage Day on the 24th, which is now famously known as Braai Day, but it’s also a great time to explore and revisit authentic South African cuisine.
This is usually the time when restaurants also launch their new menus, which often come with a twist of local flavour.
It’s waterblommetjie season and last weekend the Paarl region hosted their annual Waterblommetjie Festival.
Indigenous to the Cape, this scaly water plant is great for cooking.
It’s probably best known for its bredie, but if you’re looking for ways to jazz up your potjie this Braai Day then you have to try the waterblommetjie potjie by Danie Marais, winemaker of Windmeul Kelder.
A few weeks ago, I made my first attempt at making waterblommetjie bredie and I was quite surprised with the results.
I must admit, this is no quick dish and making it took about three to four hours, but it was definitely worth the wait.
Besides, any good chef worth his or her salt will tell you good food takes time.
Another South African favourite that’s indigenous to the Cape is rooibos.
It’s one of our most famous and loved exports and it is dominating tea markets around the world.
But rooibos is more than just a warm, refreshing drink of tea after a long day.
Like most proudly South African products, rooibos is versatile and can be enjoyed with many meals and adds great flavour when used as an ingredient.
And then there’s buchu, rooibos’ underrated cousin as I like to call it.
Just like rooibos, buchu is also indigenous to the Cape and can be used in anything from food to cosmetics.
This week I’ve included a mix of food and drink recipes that highlight all three of these local favourites.