Hotel spread shows range of South African cuisine

JAKARTA (JP): South African food is a diverse, culinary chronology of the immigrants who made the country their home.

Collectively it resembles no other food in the world, not even Australia, despite the similar outdoorsy, sports-oriented lifestyle of the land Down Under. Although both countries have the much-beloved barbecue (in South Africa it's called a brai), what goes on it is a different story.

There are the corn and meat dishes of the African people, the stews, heavenly sausages and puddings of the Afrikaaners and the spicy-hot curries of the transplanted Indian communities.

There are even distinctive dishes of the Cape Malay, the descendants of people brought over from the then Dutch East Indies and the Malay peninsula in the 18th and 19th centuries.

And now, after all the years when South Africa was the moral basket case of the world, when more than two thirds of its people lived in virtual shackles and its natural beauty was darkened by the human tragedy played out amid it, the country's opening up to the world has brought its cuisine to the center of the table.

In a rare opportunity to sample genuine South African cuisine in these parts, there is a not-to-be missed promotio at Cafe Gran Via at Gran Melia hotel in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

There is something for everyone in the choices. For spice lovers, there are dishes such as the bobotie, a Cape Malay specialty of layers of minced lamb or beef, rice and egg; a tangy Durban curry of chicken and shrimp, or bredie, filling stews of different cuts of meat and vegetables.

Salads are also on the menu, with a piquant rice salad, a crocodile meat salad and one containing Mopani worms, which may only run to the most adventurous of tastes.

There is also the heavy presence of meats, such as beef, ostrich, imported from Australia and cooked in various sauces, including with amarulla, a tart South African fruit, and springbok.

Samp, a type of African dish made from maize kernels that have been stamped and broken but not ground finely, tasted great served with beans. Not to be missed also is the chakalaka, a salsa-like (but better) mix of onion, carrots, green beans, red and green peppers, chillies and garlic, and morogo, greens cooked up with peppers and tomatoes and a bit of cream.

The menu is changed every day for lunch and dinner but the undoubted highlight on the night we ate was a heavenly milk pudding, flavored with apricot and served warm.

The only disappointments were the boerewors, a famed South African sausage mixed with spices, which in the Melia's version was too coarse and lacking in chives, and the biltong, which resembled dried shredded beef instead of the long pieces of salted and cured meat flavored with coriander.

"We have done a little experimentation, but overall tried to keep the dishes as traditional as possible," said Rudi Liebenberg, one of two South African chefs brought over for the event.

Liebenberg explained that Indonesian health regulations prevented importing some of the meats and fruits, including for the boerewors and biltong.

"But this country has so much produce, especially for things like fish, that we were able to find substitutes."

How did other diners rate the dishes?

"Some of the curries are really tasty, not very different from what we have here," said one woman at the cafe. "But things like crocodile and worms just leave me cold."

The promotion, which is at the Melia until Wednesday, is not cheap at Rp 125,000 ++ per head, although there is the additional draw of Afrida, a Soweto-based group of dancers and singers.

But if you are a lover of unusual and good food just consider it an exceptional indulgence to be savored. (Bruce Emond)