by Sally Andrew
Titles of songs heard in Jessie’s ringtones are with thanks to the following great musicians: ‘Girl On Fire’ by Alicia Keys; ‘My Black President’ by Brenda Fassie; ‘Light My Fire’ by The Doors; ‘I’m Your Man’ and ‘By The Rivers Dark’ by Leonard Cohen.
The Afrikaans folk song ‘’N Liedjie Van Verlange’ sung by Dirk and Anna is derived from the German folk song ‘Ich Weiss Nicht Was Mir Fehlet’. I made use of poetic licence with my own English translation of this ‘Song of Longing’. Much thanks to the Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereniginge and to Protea Boekhuis for kindly giving permission to use the Afrikaans version of this song, by Eitemal, in their FAK Sangbundel (Protea Boekhuis, 2011).
I am very grateful to the chefs, cooks and bakers who helped me perfect the recipe-related parts of this book.
Nikki Langer (of Eat Love Feast caterers) kindly read the whole book in its early draft, helped me to plot the food and provided me with numerous wonderful recipe ideas (many from Ina Paarman).
The magnificent baker and chef, Martin Mössmer, tested and adapted all the Tannie Maria recipes until each one of them was moan-out-loud- and-faint delicious. He provided the recipes for the tomato sambal, vetkoek, vetkoek mince, honey-toffee snake cake, koeksisters, chocolate mousse cake and buttermilk chocolate cake. The sublime melktert recipe is from his great-great-grandmother, Ouma Alie Visser.
The legendary Ina Paarman allowed me to use her fabulous recipes for cucumber sambal and bobotie topping, and was so kind as to meet with me and share her ideas.
I am inspired by my sister, Gabrielle Andrew, who makes the most delicious meals. The tender mutton curry is an adaptation of her recipe (with ideas added by Martin and me).
My parents, Bosky and Paul Andrew, are the best hosts on the planet and cook every meal with love, and each one is divine. I am indebted to my mother’s most-used cookbook, Cook with Ina Paarman (Struik, 1987), and my father’s mother’s cookbook, Mrs Slade’s South African Cookery Book (Central News Agency, 1951). I was also inspired by the classic Kook en Geniet by SJA de Villiers (self-published by the author, 1951).
The bobotie recipe is my father’s, inspired by Mrs Slade (with additional ideas from Ina Paarman and Martin Mössmer). The tamatiebredie is my creation, with adjustments by Martin Mössmer.
My thanks to Barrie Pringle for her Karoo farm bread recipe, to bread-baker Gavin Lawson, and to master baker Chris Johnston (of Main Street Café, Omaruru, Namibia) for great ideas (including the choc-banana), and to Laurian Roebert for her mother’s magnificent health-nut rusk recipe.
Dan Halpern, Hattie Grunewald, Laurian Roebert, Teresa Loots, Jenny Wheeldon, Lindy Truswell and Tova Luck are great cooks who tested out some of Tannie Maria’s recipes, and provided excellent feedback.
I was also influenced by ideas in Karoo Kitchen: Heritage Recipes and True Stories from the Heart of South Africa (Quivertree Publications, 2012) by Sydda Essop.
The recipes in my book are predominantly from the cooking tradition of Afrikaans-speaking people. However, they are enjoyed by a broad range of South Africans, and the sources of the recipes are very diverse. Despite apartheid’s best efforts, cultures (and their foods) are intricately interwoven, and ‘traditional South African’ recipes have many influences (including Malay, Indian, Dutch, French and Italian) in addition to their African origins.
In my opinion, all the Tannie Maria recipes are beyond delicious, but please note: any errors or flops are my responsibility and not to be blamed on any of the above-credited cooks.
There is no such thing as an original recipe. We learn from each other and we adjust. Something here, something there, a handful of this, a handful of that . . . from generation to generation.
– Karen du Preez cited in Karoo Kitchen
When you prepare a meal, you must do it with your heart.
– Carolyn Essop cited in Karoo Kitchen