This latest recipe book from Ilse van der Merwe is a celebration of our diverse and colourful food cultures. The classic recipes in Timeless South African contain stories behind the iconic dishes. If you want to learn more about our Rainbow Nation, this recipe book is a great place to start.
Timeless South African
In Timeless South African, renowned cook and food writer Ilse van der Merwe has compiled a list of the top 101 iconic South African dishes – meals not only seen as ‘heritage food’, but dishes that are still relevant, recognisable, loved and prepared in many South African communities today. Well-researched and based on formal and informal discussions with chefs, members of the public and food lovers of different backgrounds, this book celebrates the country’s diverse cultures and culinary traditions, highlighting the history of each recipe as well as the modern ways in which they have been reinvented. The dishes in this book – whether humble or celebratory – are paired with classically styled and vibrant photos. Do you know your vetkoek from your amagwinya? Or your koeksisters from your koesisters? And do you know the interesting histories of bobotie, the gatsby, hertzoggies and Durban naan? The more we share our food and our stories, the more we’ll be able to celebrate what unites us: being South African.
Today’s recipe book review from Lavender and Lime ♥ Timeless South African ♥ #LavenderAndLime Share on X
Chapters are divided into:
- Bread and roti
- Maize, grains, beans and rice
- Vegetables, fritters and sides
- Snacks and street food
- Curries, stews and bredies
- Pies, casseroles and roasts
- On the braai
- Sweet treats and bakes
Recipes that caught my eye:
- Ujeqe (p25)
- Askoek (p30)
- Indian Roti (p38)
- Pumpkin fritters (p66)
- Fish frikkadels (p69)
- Chakalaka (p79)
- Vegetable atchar (p80)
- Bunny chow (p109)
- Lightly curried West Coast black mussels (p114)
- Durban bean curry (p121)
- Durban mutton curry (p126)
- Denningvleis (p137)
- Venison pie with ‘oorgooi-slapdeeg’ (p146)
- Cape brandy pudding (p206)
- Festive fruitcake (p208)
- Fruit chutney (p229)
What I made:
Wanting something comforting and warm for dinner, I made the Durban mutton curry and chapati (Indian roti). This was a fantastic meal, and well worthy of a place in a recipe book dedicated to iconic recipes. We had friends over for dinner and I made the Cape brandy pudding which I served with custard. Perfect for a winter dessert.
My impressions:
With a collection of over 80 South African recipe books, I was curious to know if I would find something new and unique in this book. I was quite surprised to see a recipe for boerewors rolls. Even though iconic, this is not really a recipe in my opinion. Ordinarily, I would not add bunny chow to my choice of recipes to make. But this one acknowledges the dark history of the dish. I added the venison pie recipe to my list as the pastry intrigues me. It is a soft pastry batter which I will attempt the next time we get venison bones to make pies out of. Overall, I think this is a good book if you are starting out your South African collection.
About the author:
Ilse van der Merwe is an acclaimed cook, food writer, content creator, stylist and television presenter from Cape Town, South Africa. She is the author of three other cookbooks – Cape Mediterranean (2019), Simply Seasonal (2021) and Easy Al Fresco (2023), all published by Penguin Random House South Africa. Her first book, Cape Mediterranean, earned a bronze medal at the 2020 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. She has presented two series on South African television and is a regular guest on other food programmes.
Publishing information:
Click this link if you wish to purchase the recipe book on Amazon Kindle.
Penguin Random House South Africa sent me this recipe book to review.
See the links below for blog posts I published on August 27:
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- 2024: Frandura Di Montalto
- 2023: Grannysaurus
- 2021: Shakshuka Eggs
- 2018: Chocolate Caramels
- 2015: Pickled Cucumbers
- 2014: Beating The Budget
- 2013: Chocolate Pin Wheels
- 2012: Mielie Pap
- 2011: Taste of Johannesburg
- 2010: Onion And Tomato Tart
Love bobotie! Would love to try the venison pie 🙂
I will share the recipe if I get around to making it 🙂
Fascinating! South African cuisine is so fascinating to me!
me too! there is always something new to try 🙂
I haven’t cooked or eaten enough African food. This cookbook looks like a keeper!
It is one I will most certainly use again 🙂
One of my housemates made a dish she called Bobotie about 45 years ago! Probably not in the least authentic but it was delicious. It had beef mince and bread soaked in milk, and raisins I think…
sherry https://sherryspickings.blogspot.com/
that sounds totally authentic 🙂
Just fyi (if this goes thru) – I keep getting warning messages about your site, saying it is risky and something or other has been blocked for safety…
cheers
sherry https://sherryspickings.blogspot.com/
oh wow! I wonder why? My site is secure. Maybe it is one of the plugins? If it happens again, please can you see what has been blocked and let me know 🙂
South African cuisine is something I know absolutely nothing about, so I found this very interesting.
Thanks Pattie 🙂
I love reading cookbooks that have the stories behind the dishes. I am not familiar with South African cooking at all. I doubt there are many recipes that would accommodate my vegan and gluten free needs, but I think I would enjoy reading the cookbook and learning about the various cultures of South Africa. Thanks for the review Tandy.
Some of our traditional dishes can easily be turned into vegan ones, especially babotie, which is a favourite here to be made with lentils 🙂
What an excellent resource. I’ve recently gotten more into African cooking and will need to check this out.
Let me know what you think of it 🙂