Chesses
“South Africa is strangely lacking in good local cheeses – strange for a country with a thriving dairy industry. Most cheese tends to be mass-produced and over priced. However, this is slowly changing, and many local farms now sell their own cheese. The countryside around Stellenbosch, Franschoek, and Paarl in the Cape Winelands now produce some very good cow’s and goats milk cheeses.”
All though this book says that the cheese is quite expensive we are finding it comparable to the States. We are also loving the quality of the cheeses. There is quite a range available that we have never seen before and we are enjoying exploring these new cheeses.
Fruit and Vegetables
“South Africa is one of the world’s major producers of citrus and soft fruit as well as exotic vegetables. The orchards of the Cape produce vast quantities of peaches, nectarines, apricots, eating grapes, apples, oranges, and pears, all of which can be bought cheaply. From the Eastern Cape through Natal and Iowveld Transvaal, sub-tropical fruits like guava, mango, pawpaw, banana and avocado grow wild and are also very inexpensive. A delicacy of the usually arid Karoo is the fruit of the prickly pear, which tastes somewhere between pineapple and pomegranate. Watermelon and honeydews are available everywhere. Fruit preserves – jams, chutneys and bottled slices can be bought most everywhere. Around the Cape, these tend to be spicy, with a sweet and sour edge.
South Africa is one of the few countries where fresh asparagus can be grown year-round. Butternut squash (delicious when cooked with butter and cinnamon), small star squash, courgettes, marrows (baby zucchini), the omnipresent mealie (maize) form the staple vegetables of the South African diet. A vegetarian dish popular among blacks, but almost universally snubbed by whites, is samp, a tasty mish-mash of maize and beans that can keep you going for weeks. Mushrooms are always expensive, and do not thrive in South Africa’s dry soils.”
We are amazed at the quality and price of produce here. Since South Africa can grow most produce within their country the produce is very fresh and inexpensive in comparison to the cost of produce in the States. We are eating a wider range of fruits and vegetables then we ever have before because of how inexpensive it is. Personally I’m loving this. I prefer more vegetables and less meat. J
Breads, Pastries, and Puddings
“Around the Cape, the home-baked breads are among the best baked anywhere. The most common is the koeksister, a very sweet small cake rolled in a spiral shape. Fruit tarts, cheesecakes and melktaart are standard desserts and, in general, are very high quality.”
By: Cadogan Guides
We had a melktaart at Pauline’s and they are very nice. It’s a light dessert that is not too sweet. Also, we’ve found puddings are very popular. I’m hoping to post some recipes for some soon.
