What a stunning cookbook.
For starters, the production is exquisite. I wanted to lick the pages. The content is fascinating. The author, Phillippa Cheifitz, takes us through all the significant food cultures which are a part of the fabric of food in South Africa.
And what a melting pot it is; Jewish, Afrikaner, Indian, Greek, Italian, Asian, British, Portuguese, Cape Malay and Pan African.
You get a sense of place, as well as the food, emanating from the diverse peoples who arrived here as slaves, colonisers, as well as the existing native populations.
When you read about it all in context you begin to get a deeper understanding of the different food cultures in southern Africa.
I adored reading about the different South African foodies, their bits of family history, their foodie influences and not least the delectable recipes.
Fresh corn and coriander soup. Yum, yum. Warm grilled yellowtail, parsley and bean salad. Delish.Finally, spice rubbed roasted quail with curry cream sauce. Fab. Phillippa says she adores quail, so do I but I know some people who find it too fiddly to eat.
Having worked my way through the 189 mouthwatering pages I now feel I have a much better understanding of the full array of South African food.
Phillippa Cheifitz you certainly dished up the goodies.
Bravo!
South Africa Eats, by Phillippa Cheifitz. Published by Quivertree Publications. Price R345.
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Phillippa is a national treasure, and, guess what? She’s a mensch, one of my favourite human beings. OK, there was Albert Schweitzer, but he couldn’t cook, could he? Without her I might have starved to death. I still have one of her very first cook books, THE COSMOPOLITAN COOKBOOK,(R14.95 YES!!!) long before COSMO got into all that HOW TO HAVE A REAL ORGASM IN 20 SECONDS stuff. The chocolate mousse recipe in it has saved many a marriage, take it from me. Her other books, like SEASONS and LAZY DAYS are “must haves.” If you can get them, get them. Forget about those Jimmy Choos for another month. Remember, the way to a man’s heart is through his chest with a chain saw, but feed him first!
Greg, I agree wholeheartedly. But rather than feed a man first, I’d rather teach him how to cook.