Traditional Recipes – A Success Story

Traditional recipes remain a favorite in South Africa. Should one visit a lodge somewhere in the bush, one can be sure to find chefs keenly preparing traditional recipes like “Bobotie with yellow rice” or “Oxtail with rice and sweet potatoes” to awaiting foreigners or locals. South African Chef’s schools also focus on training their students in the art of traditional recipe cooking, knowing that tourists and locals alike crave this divine cuisine.

Some might wonder how all these traditional recipes find there way into the hearts and culture of South Africa. Most of them come from way back when Jan van Riebeeck came to settle in the Cape. Malay people, the French, German, British and local black communities all had favorite traditional recipes handed down from grandmothers that became part and parcel of the South African way.
Popular recipe books like “Cook and Enjoy,” written by SJA de Villiers, contains a vast array of traditional recipes. Who would have thought that when the book was first released in 1951 there would be nearly 20 re-prints by 2008? This just shows the popularity of traditional recipes with decades of cooks – be it moms or dads cooking at home or professional chefs from Prue Leith Chef’s Academy preparing something scrumptious to a group of visiting tourists. Traditional recipes are here to stay.