12 days South Africa Culinary & Wildlife Safari – Luxury

If you are looking for the best of luxury, and want to pampered this tour is for you.

12 days South Africa Culinary & Wildlife Safari – Luxury. (click Here)

Poached Rhino?

English: a rhino in South Africa (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A serious topic in South Africa and Africa at the moment as there has been an increase in Rhino poaching in South Africa due to the increase in demand for Rhino Horn in East. The figures are increasing despite the effort of so many good people trying to prevent this horrific poaching of Rhino. A great NGO to support is the organization called Stoprhinopoaching.org, they have several projects going on at the moment to create awareness as well  as raise funding to educate communities. You can go to their website www.stoprhinopoaching.com and support them and get more information and how you can contribute to their plight.

Poached Rhino 2013 -483 reported cases to date and in 2012 there were 668 reported cases

Funds Raised by Stoprhinopoaching.org R1 078 946

Registered Supporters of the organization 13642

Please spread awareness and mobilize friends, family, colleagues and corporates to play a role in the fight against rhino poaching.

A traditional Braai

English: South African cuisine, with meats of wildlife and traditional sauces in the jars in the front. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Braai’d chicken for dinner (Photo credit: Craig Strachan)

Raw Boerewors. Español: Boerewors cruda. Suomi: Raaka boerewors. नेपाली: Raw Boerewors. සිංහල: Raw Boerewors. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Braai you say, what is it? in the western world it is commonly know as a barbeque. In South Africa it is a an age old tradition and a social gathering for families and friends. South African’s will use any excuse to have a Braai. Our weather is perfect for Braaiing, its an outdoors event and not to be missed when visiting South Africa.

Meat of any variety will be “braaiied”, most common would be boerewors, lamb or mutton chops and steak. Chicken is also a common meat used at Braai, and it can prepared in many different ways, and a personal favourite is Peri-Peri Chicken, which is a spicy portuguese marinaded chicken, and occassionaly can be quite spicey, not for the feint hearted.Boerewors (Afrikaans Farmers Sausage) is a not as you would know traditional sausage to look like, but it appears as a spiral. predominantly stuffed with beef, spices and spek. as seen in the picture.

Pap (maize flour) is also served at a braai, served with ishishebo ( tomatoe onion salsa sauce). Traditionally the men would prepare the meat on the braai, they would all have a beer in hand and gossip about alsorts of topics, with a Rugby match on the TV,  and the woman would make salads.

Types of salads that are prepared would be, carrot salad, Potato salad, coleslaw, copper penny salad, 3 bean salad and Beetroot salad etc. Pickles can also be served at a braai, namely pickled onions and gherkins.

Desserts at a braai are not as common, but when there is a dessert a good one to have after the braai is Melktert ( Milktart – custard tart with cinnamon dusted on top) and or Fresh Fruit Salad.

On the coast it is also quite common to have a Fish Braai, where you can have whole fresh fish prepared also served with Salads and garlic bread.  Types of fish used for the braai can be Kabeljou, Snoek, basically any fish that is caught fresh. Other options are Crayfish (Rock Lobster) and mussels etc.

Inland you can find other varieties of meats such as Springbok, Ostrich, Kudu, Impala, Warthog and Gemsbok, these would be commonly used as venison. In the Zulu culture and most other African cultures you can find Goat and Beef on the menu, also served with “pap”.

The Afrikaaners have also produced some meat products like Skilpadjies (“tortoises” – and no they are not tortoises, the shape of the product looks like a tortoise – made from Lambs liver wrapped in Caul fat)  and Pofadder (“Puff Adder” Snake – and again it isnt a snake but the offal wrapped in intestines casing), Boerewors is also a traditional afrikaans meat product.

So be sure to have a good old traditional braai when visiting South Africa, its a must.

Braai food (Photo credit: Paul Watson)

Would you like a culinary tour of Africa?

This tour would highlight the different types of ingredients found in africa, and teach you the methods of cooking traditional and non traditional african recipes. The tour would also incorporate visiting local food markets, buying local ingredients and together preparing recipes …

Braai’ed snoek, a regional gamefish – Recipe

Snoek-Thyrsites atun (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Thyrsites atun, the “snoek” or “Cape snoek”, is a long, thin, perch-like commercial food fish belonging to the Gempylidae family. It is found in the seas of the Southern Hemisphere. It is also known in Australasia as barracouta though it is not related to the barracuda.

It can grow up to 200 centimetres (79 in) long and weigh as much as 6 kilograms (13 lb). It is found near continental shelves or around islands and feeds on crustaceans, cephalopods and small fish like anchovy and pilchard. This species will form schools near the bottom or midwater; sometimes even near the surface at night. It prefers sea water temperature between 13 °C (55 °F) and 18 °C (64 °F).

It is found off the coast of Namibia and the coast of the Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces of South Africa. It was originally called the “zee snoek” (Sea Snoek) by Dutch colonists who arrived in the Cape in 1652. It is said to have reminded them of the freshwater pike (or snoek) they found at home in the Netherlands. The snoek is widely distributed in the colder waters in the Southern Hemisphere. It is found from Namibe in Angola to Mossel Bay in South Africa, off Tristan da Cunha in the mid southern Atlantic and off Western Australia, where it is call the barracouta, off Chile and Argentina (where it is called the sierra).[1] Bluish-black on top with a silver belly, the snoek grows to over a metre in length. {http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyrsites_atun}

Recipe – Braai’d Snoek
I always believe that cooking fish should be kept simple, dont over complicate the matter, why hide the natural flavour of fish, and Snoek is no different. You can buy them smoked or fresh, and what I like to do is Braai (barbeque) snoek in Swakopmund – Namibia, here i can source fresh snoek from a local fishmonger. its as easy as this:

Ingredients:

• Fresh Snoek
• Salted Butter – depends on the size of your fish about 500g should do it
• Apricot Jam – about 4 table spoons
• Lemon juice – juice of 2 lemons
• salt & pepper

Method:

So once your coals are ready, place some tin foil under your snoek which has been butterflied, dont close the fish in foil, then melt the butter with the apricot jam, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste and brush the fish with your butter mixture, and place on the grill of your braai, and every so often brush your fish with the butter, apricot and lemon juice mixture. Braai until the flesh is falling off the bone.

 Serve with baked potato, salad…and a glass of good South African White wine.

 

Potbrood (Beer Bread) Recipe – always a favourite on tour – Yum

Potbrood (Beer Bread) Recipe – always a favourite on tour – Yum.

Potbrood (Beer Bread) Recipe – always a favourite on tour – Yum

A loaf of Beer Bread. Ingredients: 1 12oz bottle beer 3 cups flour 1/3 cup sugar Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, give or take. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Also one of my favourite recipes and very easy to make

here is my take on a simple beer bread recipe:

 

Ingredients:

• 500 g self aising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 20-30 ml sugar
• 1 egg
• 340 ml beer
• grated cheese
• chopped spring onion

Combine all dry ingredients, add beaten egg and beer ( at this stage you can add cheese, chopped spring onion) and combine until a dough is formed, place in a cast-iron pot on some coals, place the coals on the lid of the pot. Be sure to not put too many coals on the lid or bottom of pot, we dont want burnt bread. Bake for an estimated 20 min, as this is cooking in an uncontrolled environment ( open fire) be sure to check the bread every now and then to make sure you havent burnt it.

Tap the the bread to check for a hollow sound, or stab a skewer in the centre and when you pull it out the skewer is dry not damp.

 

Serve with a Potjie stew

 

African Recipes

African Recipes.

12 Day South Africa

English: Table Mountain seen from Lion’s Head. Español: Montaña de la Mesa vista desde la Cabeza de León. Frysk: In panorama fan de Tafelberch. Ek it tafellekken is te sjen. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Day 1 to 5:  Cape Town and Cape Wine Lands -Western Cape

Cape Town (Afrikaans: Kaapstad [ˈkɑːpstɐt]; Xhosa: iKapa) is the second-most populated city in South Africa after Johannesburg, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Townmetropolitan municipality. The city is famous for its harbour as well as its natural setting in the Cape floral kingdom, as well as for such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. Cape Town is also Africa’s most popular tourist destination

We are going to stay in one of Cape Town’s luxury hotels,  during our stay we are going to explore many of Cape Town’s world renown wonders, visit local food markets.  An expert will join us on a tour of the winelands, to  educate us on the pairing of South African wines with good wholesome south african cuisine.

  

Day 6:  Durban – Kwazulu Natal

Durban (Zulu: eThekwini, from itheku meaning ‘bay / lagoon’) is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. It is also the third largest city in South Africa after Johannesburg and Cape Town. It forms part of the eThekwinimetropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism because of the city’s warm subtropical climate and extensive beaches.

We will have an opportunity to feast on indian fare in Durban.

 

Day 7 & 8:  Zululand – Kwazulu Natal

Zululand history, King Shaka, Ulundi, Eshowe and Richards Bay are some of the terms associated with the world-renowned region of KwaZulu-Natal’s Zululand.
The sheer majesty of Zululand will take your breath away. Under the hot African sun, the cobalt blue Indian Ocean, mangrove swamps and limpid lagoons give way to rolling green hills and indigenous forests which shimmer in the distance before they reach the Drakensberg Mountains.

 Zululand teems with private and provincial game reserves which offer game-watching facilities as well as hiking and nature trails.
But it is probably ‘the Zulu experience’ which will linger in your mind long after you have left Zululand. Take an ox wagon to Zulu villages of bee-hive huts and experience traditional Zulu hospitality, or a rural wedding ceremony, and if you wish visit a sangoma (traditional healer). You cannot leave without a visit to Ulundi, the site of the final battle fought in the Anglo-Zulu war. Nearby Zulu kings lie buried in the Emakhosini Valley. In total contrast are the township tours showcasing modern Zulu life including taverns, shebeens and traditional medicine shops.

We will stay at a Private Game reserve, and during our stay we will have the opportunity to visit a local home stead and taste traditional african dishes.

 

 Day 9,10 &11 Kruger National Park – Mpumalanga

Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of 19,633 square kilometres (7,580 sq mi) in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa, and extends 360 kilometres (220 mi) from north to south and 65 kilometres (40 mi) from east to west. All the Big Five game animals are found at Kruger National Park, which has more species of large mammals than any other African Game Reserve (at 147 species).

Here we will stay at one of the Luxury lodges of Singita (subject to availablity) during our stay here we will not only experience open vehicle game drives but also take part in cooking a traditional african meal during our stay at the Singita School of Cooking.

We will stay at one of the private lodges and enjoy enjoy game walks and open vehicle game drives.

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Day 12  Johannesburg  – Gauteng

On Our Last day we will visit Soweto, an important area in the history of South Africa, we will visit the Apartheid Museum, and then visit a local Shebeen to try Modern African cuisine.