Using fresh springbok I made this venison stew, or springbok bredie if you speak Afrikaans.
We were very fortunate to be given some Springbok from a friend at a very reasonable price. He charged us R100 (€10) for two loins, a shoulder and a leg, plus some bits and pieces for stewing, etc. The springbok is our national animal – it is venison, and our rugby players are known as the Bokke. Here in South Africa, we take great pride in our rugby – it is the national sport. It is also the sport that brought a nation together when we won the world cup in 1995. It is one of our proudest moments when the shout of “Joel you beaut!” was heard across the world as Joel Stransky kicked the winning points of the match. Springboks, as there name suggest, bounce all over the show – much like the thoughts in my head at present. This post has taken a path all of its own, much like my recipes do when I start cooking with no real plan in mind.

Bokkie (Springbok) Bredie – Venison Stew
Ingredients
- 15 mls olive oil
- 250 g venison cubed
- 1 onion chopped
- 5 mls Spanish rub
- 1 x 400g tin whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 x 400g tin waterblommetjies drained
- 60 mls white wine
- 2 potatoes quartered
Method
- heat the oil in a casserole pot
- brown the venison, remove and set aside
- add the onion and sauté until soft
- add the rub (you can use any Spanish inspired spices)
- when you can smell the spices return the meat and the juices to the pot
- add the tomatoes, waterblommetjies, wine and potatoes
- cover and simmer for 50 minutes
- remove the lid and allow the sauce to thicken
Click on the links for conversions and notes.
ps waterblommetjie is a water hawthorn, which is indigenous so the area where I live. If you live in Australia, England, France and America (specifically California) you should be able to source them.
They call it deer meat out here and i say oh you mean venison and the locals look at me like “was that greek”.. lovely recipe, the slow cook would be great I think. c
the Americans are so funny sometimes Celi – with all their different words like they invented a new language 🙂
Must make friends with a hunter. Sorry, just making my to-do list for the fall. Looks great.
it is always handy to have a hunter friend 🙂
I loved some of springbok we ate while in South Africa last year. Some was really good and some just OK. I’m sure since it is venison you have to know how to cook it. I didn’t realize it was so expensive.waterblommetjies & Spanish rub?
What is
Springbok can be very expensive and very easy to ruin! This lot we got was actually very cheap. Waterblommetjies are pond lillies, which you can get in the USA. Spanish rub is a spice blend with Spanish influences of paprika, saffron etc. Have a super day Bexx 🙂
Ooh you are lucky – this recipe looks and sounds gorgeous! Am enjoying the rugby too 🙂
I stayed home this morning to watch France beat Wales.
Great with the addition of waterblommetjies!!! Very local!!
I cannot imagine a bredie without the blommetjies 🙂
Wow! So strange that you call it “waterblommetjie” because here we name the stew “waterblommetjie”, not the flower itself (whose chief ingredient is the waterblommetjie as you call it. Also called “pond weed” and used in aquariums if you can believe it!
Our pond weed grows in the wild here in most of our local dams 🙂