My First Potjiekos

So, I firmly believe that food is the lifeblood and heart of a culture.  That's why I'm having such a fun time exploring South African food and showing it on this blog.  There is nothing like a family meal for passing down tradition and love, all in one bite.

And therefore, when I was invited to my first potjiekos (pronounced POYT-KEE) I was all a dither.  Along with the braai, potjiekos is the ultimate traditional South African meal and is essentially a special kind of a stew.

This past Sunday, to celebrate Father's Day, I went with Norman's family to Hout Bay, about 20 kilometers (a little over 10 miles) south of Cape Town.  There, we were hosted by Gill and Russell and their family -- and can I just say, I had the best day!

First of all, they and their whole family are the most lovely people.  I keep saying this, but I find South Africans to be some of the most friendly people I've ever met.  Russell's dad taught me how to play backgammon and Gill (who is a fellow lover of travel-adventure type books) lent me a whole armful of books and everyone was genuinely warm and welcoming.

And then, they just happen to live in paradise.

This is their backyard:

What?!  No, I mean, really.  Does it get more beautiful?  I'm pretty positive Frodo was hanging around just out of sight and I think I heard some Elves singing in the background ...

On top of it all, they have the most wonderful menagerie of animals.  I, as an animal lover who is deeply missing my three cats at home, was in heaven.

They have:

A peacock, bien sûr.

A beautiful pony named Dream.

And three dogs, including Storm, the world's most adorable Rotweiller.

They also have three cats -- but dang it, I forgot to get a picture!  I think I was too busy carrying them and cooing to them. 

And then finally, of course, there was the potjiekos!

Here is how it is cooked:

People, THAT right there is tradition.  The stew is cooked over an open flame on a 3-legged cast iron pot.  The pot is actually what gives the dish its name.  So a potjiekos is cooked in a potjiekos -- does that make sense?

Meat is marinated and put in the potjiekos first, then layers of vegetables added and cooked slowly, until it is all a glorious, mouth-watering meal.

Here are Russell and Gill doing their thing:

And here I am completely faking like I had anything to do with this fabulous meal:

 

Here it is, all done:

This potjiekos had beef, pumpkin, potatoes, sprouts, carrots, broccoli, peas and a thick, savory sauce.

They served it with barley and a tender onion-cheese bread:

My only sadness was that because of my recent stomach issues, I couldn't indulge like I would have liked.  I could only eat a little, but what little I had was oh-so-good.  I made sure to savor each bite.

What makes this meal special though, is not just the food.  It's about the hours that it takes, hours that are spent chatting by a fire, hours that wouldn't be dedicated to this task if there wasn't some love and care behind it.  That is ultimately what I love about food:  not just the deliciousness, but the fun and friendship created along the way.

Here is the whole gang having afternoon tea a few hours after the potjiekos.

All in all, a most fantastic day!

PS: Storm thinks he's a lap dog, even though he weighs 70 kilos (155 pounds):

PPS:  Guess who is well enough to go to Mossel Bay? (I leave soon, yey!)

and PPPS:  Speaking of love and family and tradition, I really miss my parents today.  I love you Mamita and ¡Feliz Día del Padre Papito!