Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Variety is the spice of life for Cape chef
Heritage dishes from the Cape date back 350 years and are now South African favourites
ONE OF the highlights of the Good Food & Wine Show at the CTICC from Thursday is Celebrity Chefs Theatre, where popular food experts demonstrate their skills.
Among the international cooking stars is an evangelist of local recipes, Capetonian Cass Abrahams. “I am a proponent of South African cuisine. I am passionate about Cape food,” she says.
The featured chef has two slots at the theatre, next Saturday at 5pm and next Sunday at 3pm.
On both days, she will make a single tantalising local dish: smoor snoek.
“It’s a heritage dish: smoor snoek in a mussel and ginger broth. There are different ways of cooking it. It is a very old recipe, but well-loved on the Cape Flats.”
During her 70-year life, Abrahams was a teacher for 17 years; a biology teacher at Trafalgar and Bridgetown, among others.
“Sometime, life gives you a smack. I found cooking more fulfilling.”
She has consulted for restaurants and ran De Waterblommetjie Restaurant at the Castle of Good Hope. She can be found cooking her traditional dishes at the Bay Harbour Market in Hout Bay on weekends.
She worked on the in- production season of the Ultimate Braai Master, showing contestants how to use braai spices.
Abrahams refers to herself as a food historian. Although they have never met, she referred to KwaZulu-Natal food historian Zuleikha Mayat’s book Indian Delights as her delight.
The Retreat-based chef has written The culture and cuisine of the Cape Malays and Cass Abrahams Cooks Cape Malay: Food for Africa.
“(East coast food) is totally different. The Dutch came to the Cape. The San were hunter-gatherers, who walked along the seashore. The Dutch couldn’t just eat greens, the San taught them. This became part of their cooking. The San lived in peace, they didn’t believe in ownership. They helped themselves to the Dutch people’s vegetables. Mercenaries from Indonesia came to protect the Dutch. They drove the San out to the west.”
She said Indonesian slaves were talented, making wine barrels and dresses.
“Their food was totally different. In Italy you find pizza, in Spain you get paella and in England roast and yorkshire pudding. We don’t honour our food, yet it dates back far. Our cuisine is older than America’s McDonald’s and Colonel Saunders.”
Abrahams says curries from the Cape are less hot, to cater for the Dutch palate.
“Our curry is layered, deep and mild... I have travelled to Norway and Orlando and people love our food. Now you will find bobotie on a menu in Denmark... There is no such thing as Cape Malay food, it is South African cuisine.”