Foodies find inspiration in local herbs

FROM ulwimi (ox tongue) and cream infused with impepho or rooibos, Cape foodies are infusing local herbs into their dishes or introducing a modern spin on traditional dishes to celebrate African culture.

Cape chefs are turning traditional food in to gourmet dishes and using local herbs to inspire flavour in a bid to change perceptions about local delicacies and offal.

Food lovers and cooks are proudly showcasing menus with herbs and food endemic to the continent to bring to life flavours that are purely African and celebrate Africa’s diverse heritage.

At the V&A Waterfront’s Makers Landing, a new restaurant, Emazulwini, has set its sights on changing perceptions about African food.

The restaurant’s owner and chef, Mmabatho Molefe, uses African ingredients which have been “forgotten about” but are now being sourced from several markets.

The young Zulu woman has found a niche in fine dining showcasing the Nguni culture.

“African food and ingredients have been downplayed in how meals are prepared. I have elevated simple foods like offal (intestines) to a status of fine dining. While some of the dishes are not particularly all about indigenous ingredients, it’s how I prepare them,” she said.

Molefe was always cooking and pursued a career in the industry.

“My parents felt like cooking was not a great career choice, so after matric I studied politics, sociology and law,” Molefe said.

“But I dropped out and went to culinary school to pursue cooking.”

After she was retrenched during the Covid-19 pandemic, Molefe decided to open her restaurant in 2020.

Emazulwini’s signature dish is ulwimi (ox tongue) and ushatini (sauce).

“It was about African food being celebrated in the fine-dining scene and showcasing it.

“We’ve been blessed to serve people from all around the world, different races, from young to old, locals and tourists who have come to experience the offerings.

“People have been open to seeing our interpretation of our culture,” she said.

In Observatory, a small ice cream parlour called Tapi Tapi has revolutionised the milky dessert.

Owned and run by Zimbabwean-born scientist Tapiwa Guhza, Tapi

Tapi makes and serves ice cream, food and beverages inspired by indigenous African ingredients.

“The inspiration behind my work is that a lot of what we consume in Africa is not from the continent, and I try to showcase the diversity that the continent offers through food.

“Through Tapi Tapi, I am trying to address the fact that our food systems from agricultural production to our homes and restaurants do not reflect the continent.

“We talk about localised eating, but none of the things are from here. So I am trying to change that,” he said.

Ice cream flavours include ingredients such as sorghum, kapenta (a sardine), nyi (a fruit from Zimbabwe), rooibos, black-eyed beans, cacao leaves, baobab fruit, fire-roasted pumpkin and peanut flour.