Cape Malay Cuisine

The New York Times travel section ran a piece today on Cape Malay Cuisine in Cape Town. They rightly noted that it has its origins in the creole slave communities from Asia (mostly SE Asia, India and Indonesia) and has been an overlooked 'working class' food in general.

Here in Cape Town, you'll find that boboties and bredies are common in the kitchens of both white tribes (Afrikaans- and English-speaking) and in both Muslim and non-Muslim coloured kitchens, and that koeksisters are favoured pastries for all kinds of people. Since there isn't much of a dining out culture among the working class coloured population, the "overlooking" of the cuisine was mainly by restaurateurs of other ethnic origins. Many local people of all stripes happily prepare it at home -- upscale, downscale, or however suits your taste, budget, occasion and interest.

I love exploring cultures and places through food. It's something that crosses linguistic and other barriers between people, and sharing food is a timeless way to honour the traveller and to show the dignity of a household, however humble it may be. In Cape Town, there are a few good places to try Cape Malay food that didn't make it onto the list at the NY Times (because they were focussing on it going upscale). Zorina's Cafe on Loop Street in the CBD is the classic, and Biesmillah in Bo Kaap is where the locals go. At the upscale end, the NY Times overlooked probably the best and biggest champion of Cape Malay cuisine, the venerable pink lady, the Mount Nelson Hotel and its Cape Colony restaurant. The Cape Malay Restaurant at Cellars-Hohenhort is also a well-seasoned veteran with a devoted following.

You can also learn to cook Cape Malay cuisine; Andulela's one-day course comes recommended to me.

[update February '08: read my posting on the Cape Malay Cooking Lessons I took - first hand account of a great experience!]

With the rise of the middle class and the shift in wealth in South Africa, this has meant an elevation of the cultures of that middle class, and in Cape Town that means coloured culture(s). In addition to Cape Malay cuisine, we're seeing an interest in Cape Jazz, in the Cape Minstrel musical traditions, and in preserving the complex slave history of coloured ancestors. Like great port cities of the world, there is a wonderful, powerful, distinctive and heady mix of cultures and pleasures to be discovered! Think of New Orleans -- Cajun and Creole, Jazz, Mardi Gras, history, mystery and a dash of hedonism (port cities take their R&R seriously!).

I expect to see a lot more in the international travel and cultural media about the rise of Africa's Coloured City.

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Cookbook recommendations:

• (SA via Kalahari.net)
  


• (SA via Kalahari.net)
  


• (US via Amazon.com) 


• (UK via Amazon.co.uk) 

Cape Malay Cuisine