1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List (185 page)

Whether made with ground beef or lamb, or in vegetarian versions based on lentils or beans,
bobotie
is a uniquely rich, flavorful, deep-dish casserole that takes on the heady charm of curry spices such as turmeric and cumin. These flavors
are deepened and brightened by additions of lemon juice, dried lemon leaves, raisins, almonds, onions, and hints of brown sugar. Some cooks press hard-cooked egg halves into the mixture, while others add diced apples or pears, peanuts, or chopped dried apricots, for a mincemeatlike touch. Whatever the add-ons, the dish is finished with a lid of golden brown egg custard that may be scented with cinnamon or nutmeg, for a result reminiscent of Greek moussaka. Steamed white rice is the appropriate accompaniment, as it soaks up the rich, hot juices that spring forth as portions are cut.

As with so many South African dishes, the history of bobotie reflects the complicated, international history of the nation and its colonial past. The dish’s name is Afrikaans, the language of white South Africans mostly of Dutch descent, and the spices recall Dutch colonial days in Indonesia and the Indonesian slaves the Dutch brought with them to South Africa to serve as cooks. The dish was a fixture in Afrikaner kitchens for centuries, with the first recipe appearing in print in 1609. Today, bobotie is the centerpiece of festive meals and a Sunday family favorite throughout the country, and is a standard on South African restaurant menus throughout the world.

Where:
In Cape Town
, Boschendal Le Café, tel 27/21-870-4282,
boschendalrestaurants.co.za
;
in New York
, Braai, tel 212-315-3315,
braainyc.com
;
in Brooklyn
, Madiba, tel 718-855-9190,
madibarestaurant.com
.
Further information and recipes:
African Cooking
by Laurens van der Post (1970);
Kwanzaa
by Eric V. Copage (1991);
The African-American Kitchen
by Angela Shelf Medearis (1991);
epicurious.com
(search bobotie);
cookstr.com
(search bobotie).

Pair this comfort food with a pint of cold beer.

It’s chow all right, of the quickest and most elemental kind, but it has nothing whatsoever to do with rabbits. Instead, bunny chow is deeply spicy and saucy curry—made most traditionally with lamb, but sometimes with fish, beef, or vegetables—spooned into a hollowed-out half-loaf of white bread. Especially popular around Durban, this warm, squishy sort-of sandwich is a reminder of the many cultures and ethnicities that fused in the South African kitchen. In the early twentieth century, descendants of Indian immigrants who came to South Africa to work on sugar plantations opened curry restaurants, which flourished as inexpensive eateries. Slices of white bread were served with the curries when patrons ate in the restaurant, but for takeout the loaf-sandwiches emerged as an alternative.

The term
bunny chow
is, in fact, used as a metaphor for South Africa’s ethnically mixed population, similar to the American “melting pot,” and also for any hectic mishmash of an event. It is conjectured by some that the name “bunny” might be derived from the names given to the South African Indians—they were called Banias or Banyas—who first served this concoction in Durban. An alternative theory suggests that the half-loaf resembles a bun. Either way, this delectably messy comfort food well may catch on in the U.S., now that some South African eateries are beginning to feature it.

Until then, though, you easily can make your own, first by stewing up your favorite curry, then cutting a loaf of unsliced white bread in half horizontally and gently pulling out the soft insides, careful to leave an intact shell of crust. Ladle in the curry, which should be hot in seasonings and temperature, drizzle in a tingling bit of zingy chutney, and enjoy. Cold beer is the most suitable accompaniment, but ginger beer (see
listing
) or iced tea flavored with lemon or ginger would do almost as well.

Where:
In Durban, South Africa
, Moyo Ushaka, tel 27/31-332-0606,
moyo.co.za
;
in New York
, Xai Xai (pronounced shy shy), tel 212-541-9241,
xaixaiwinebar.com
;
in Brooklyn
, Madiba, tel 718-855-9190,
madibarestaurant.com
.
Further information and recipes:
congocookbook.com
(click Soup & Stew, then Bunny Chow);
food.com
(search bunny chow).

The berries are a welcome addition to a fruit salad.

Picture a Chinese lantern and you’ll get a sense of the
Physalis peruviana
plant. The papery green-and-purple husks of the lantern-shaped calyx hide a berry that gives up luscious juices when ripely golden, enhanced by tiny, edible seeds that lend a crackling tingle. This is one of the prized fruits of South Africa, where it arrived from its native Peru (hence its botanical name) in the early nineteenth century. Also known as a ground cherry, the Cape gooseberry is not in fact a cherry or even a gooseberry, but a member of the ominous-sounding and generally delicious nightshade (
Solanaceae
) clan, which includes tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, potatoes, and, the black sheep, tobacco. It is closely related to the tomatillo (
Physalis ixocarpa
), which has a similar appearance and is used in many Mexican green sauces.

Much favored in South Africa in salads, candies, compotes, ice creams, sorbets, pies and, most notably, jams and syrups, Cape gooseberries are a particularly special treat when fresh and at the peak of their autumn season. Their intriguing flavor, vaguely reminiscent of kumquat, though gentler, combines the sour bite of pineapple with the cool
sweetness of tomato. They are often available at farmers’ markets in the U.S., and with their striking appearance and unusual taste, they make an elegant addition to fruit salads and dessert plates. Or, do as the South Africans do and simmer them with sugar and water into a thick compote, which can be put on everything from toast to grilled meats.

The so-called Chinese lantern,
Physalis alkekengi
, favored in bouquets for its bright orange husks, is similar to the Cape gooseberry—but few realize its berries are edible, so it is often relegated to decorative uses. The Italians, however, have a special way with the fruit of
Physalis alkekengi
, covering them with chocolate icing, leaving a cheery sprig of leafy husks at the top.

Mail order:
Melissa’s Produce, tel 800-588-0151,
melissas.com
.
Further information and recipes:
Uncommon Fruits and Vegetables
by Elizabeth Schneider (2010);
foodandwine.com
(search cape gooseberry compote);
foodnetwork.com
(search cape gooseberry relish);
seedtosupper.com
(click Tomatillos).

Finished with sugar syrup or powdered spices.

To Dutch-descended South Africans, called Afrikaners, the name for crullers is either
koeksisters
or
koe’sisters.
Formed into long, exquisite braids, or molded into high and puffy rounds, they are yeast-based, spiced pastries deep-fried in vegetable oil until golden brown. The difference between the two depends on the finishing touches. If they are dipped into a satiny sugar syrup, they emerge as koeksisters. But when the hot braids or rounds are dusted with an aromatic haze of powdered ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom they are koe’sisters.

Those wishing to circumvent the selection process can sample the koe’sisters made by the Indonesian-descended Cape Malay community, which handily combine both of these styles. The balls of richly spiced dough, which may contain ginger, cinnamon, anise, and citrus zest, are fried in oil, then simmered in sugar syrup, and finally, rolled in shredded coconut.

In any of these sweet variations, served hot and fresh, the fried confections are luscious accompaniments to coffee, and are extra-special weekend breakfast treats.

Where:
In Cape Town
, the Bo-Kaap, the bustling open-air market in the Malaysian quarter;
in New York
, Braai, tel 212-315-3315,
braainyc.com
;
in Brooklyn
, Madiba, tel 718-855-9190,
madibarestaurant.com
.
Further information and recipes:
The Soul of a New Cuisine
by Marcus Samuelsson (2006);
food.com
(search koeksisters);
koeksister.us
(click Koeksister Recipe).

These birds’ eggs are becoming more readily available.

If the recipe reads, “One egg feeds twelve,” it’s probably referring to that of an ostrich, that subtle, creamy abundance of protein contained in a huge, beautifully mottled, ivory shell. Indeed, preserved ostrich shells have been objets d’art for centuries—once holes are pierced at the top and bottom of the shell, its contents can be blown out into a bowl, much as Easter eggs are emptied before being decorated. During the Renaissance, the shells were formed into prized, fantastically expensive goblets and decanters, often fitted with spouts and stems of silver and gold.

Also desirable for its stylish feathers and luxurious, durable leather, the ostrich was, for a time, in danger of extinction on its home ground, which ranges from the Cape of Good Hope to North Africa. But now that ostriches are bred on ranches—and their lean and tender meat is featured at many restaurants and upscale butcher shops, both stateside and in parts of South Africa—their eggs are also more common. Visitors to ostrich ranches not only can observe these mythic, long-legged creatures up close, but often can sample that rare and almost comically oversized dish, the ostrich egg omelet.