Now comes the last country of this first African trip! It has been a fun experience and I learned a lot about African foods in general as I wasn’t familiar with it at all (except northern African). It has been very different from what I expected to eat. Lots of stews and not a lot of spices in central African countries, the food was simple but delicious.

The last country on the list is South Africa and it will be very different from the rest of the African countries as it has influences from all around the world in its cuisine.

Here are a few facts about South Africa:

• Capitals: Pretoria (executive), Bloemfontein (judicial), Cape Town (legislative)
• Population: about 55 million
• Area: 1 221 037 km²
• Currency: South African rand

I made Bobotie which seems to be a very popular dish in South Africa and as it requires chutney I made mango chutney alongside with it. Bobotie is ground beef mixed with a lot of spices cooked with eggs in the oven. Even though chutney doesn’t originate from South Africa, the fact that it is used in a traditional dish is a good example of how the country’s food has influences from all around the world. To make Bobotie if you don’t want to make the chutney yourself you can use store bought chutney of course. Here are the recipes for the mango chutney and the Bobotie.

Mango chutney

Ingredients:

• 2 mangoes
• 3 apples
• 1/2 onion
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 red pepper
• 1/4 cup ginger root
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

The first step is to prepare all the ingredients. Peel and dice the mangoes and the apples. Dice the onion, measure all the spices and finely chop the red pepper.

Put all the ingredients EXCEPT the curry powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt (basically all the spices) and lemon juice in a large pot or a large saucepan. Bring to a boil on high heat and then reduce heat to simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes.

After 20-25 minutes the fruits should be soft and the juice thickened. Add the spices and the lemon juice and slowly simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

This recipe makes a lot of chutney, you can cut it in half or you can put the chutney in jars. Sterilize them using the same process as for jam.

Bobotie

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 slice of bread
• 125 ml of milk
• 1/2 onion
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 2 tablespoon apricot jam
• 2 tablespoons mango chutney
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 3 eggs
• 4 bay leaves

Directions:

As usual the first step is to prepare everything you will need to cook. Chop the onion and measure all the ingredients to have them ready at hand.

Preheat the oven at 350F.

Soak the bread in the milk and then squeeze dry. Make sure you keep the milk.

Combine the milk and the eggs and beat together.

In a large bowl add all the ingredients to the meat except the bay leaves. Mix well.

In a large sauté pan, brown the meat mixture.

Once the meat is browned, put it in a casserole dish and pour the egg mixture on top. Decorate the top with the bay leaves.

Put in the over for 20-25 minutes. The top should be golden brown. Serve with rice and chutney on the side.

ake udle!