Extraordinary South African feast

By Winchelle C. Nacague

‘Cheeses, wines, air dried sausages, venison, various other sweets and meats, even flowers were all flown in especially from South Africa to the Philippines,” says chef Myrna Segismundo, the managing director of the exclusive, multi-awarded Restaurant 9501 of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. All the tireless effort and precise work were made for the celebration of the 2nd South African Food and Wine Festival, held recently in Manila and Cebu. Restaurant 9501, the crowning piece of the ELJ Communications Center, meant for the exclusive use of its executives, opened its doors to the public only for the duration of the one-week festival. Their meticulous planning and hard work paid off as it was an extraordinary visual and culinary feast with the tantalizing gastronomic spread, South African music wafting through the air, colorful displays and flowing delicious South African wines and champagne.

Chef Susina Jooste, academic development director, and chef Beate Strydom, a lecturer of Culinary Arts from the Private Hotel School in Stellenbosch, South Africa, were also on hand to prepare select South African dishes. They were assisted by Restaurant 9501’s chef and service brigade. With their knowledge and expertise in the food and wine industry, they aim to impart a finer appreciation for South Africa’s exceptional wine and cuisine.

The first South African Food Festival was held last year also at Restaurant 9501 and was well received. South Africa is famous for its magnificent landscapes and vast tracts of nature and game reserves. Yet equally remarkable is South Africa’s melting pot of culture and heritage that has produced a cuisine that resonates with influences from France, Germany, the Netherlands, India and Indonesia, to name a few. Given the country’s colorful history, it is inevitable for tribal cuisine to embrace the ways of South Africa’s early immigrants and give birth to a cuisine that reflects a symphony of their taste and cooking styles.

The extraordinarily sumptuous experience started with traditional hot biltong soup, biltong a salty, spicy strips of dried meat in a creamy soup base; bobotie, offered as a family meal in almost every South African household, is minced meat spiced up with cumin, coriander and cloves, curry powder, turmeric, dried fruit, almonds and bay leaves set with a savory egg custard; boerewors, grilled homemade mixture of beef and pork with selected spices especially coriander sausages served with chakalaka (tomato sauce); skilpadjies, minced liver wrapped in cauls or crepinette and fried over the coals; chicken beryani, originally an Indian dish served during festive occasions, includes basmati rice, lentils, saffron, cinnamon, cardamom and coriander.

Sweet endings included malva poeding (pudding), a delightfully moist self-saucing cake made by “cake mixture” using creaming method with hot butter sauce being poured immediately over it fresh from the oven; koeksister, syrup-coated doughnut in a twisted or braided shape (like a plait), very sticky and sweet and tastes like honey; and milk tarts, similar to egg pies.

South African wine is probably most well known in the area of the Western Cape, with pinotage and hanepoort being made from especially cultivated grape in the Cape area. The French connection came between 1688 and 1690 when French Huguenots, on a quest for religious freedom, settled in the country and brought with them a finer culinary culture and the beginning of South Africa’s wine industry. Britain established its rule over the peninsula and introduced to the people a liking for minced meats, pies and puddings, making these a constant fixture in households and restaurants. Germany too claims influence on South African cuisine by exporting its penchant for sausages and casseroles. The historic confluence of traditional and colonial cuisine is what makes the South African culinary culture truly unique and worth experiencing. Be sure to partake of this extraordinary feast for the senses and discover a whole new exciting cuisine next year.

Restaurant 9501 is located at Level 14 ELJ Communications Center, Eugenio Lopez Drive, Quezon City. For more information on bookings, you may call their knowledgeable banquet head Marie Garcia, or Lhen at 415-2272 loc. 2334, or Leah at 411-1434.

The Private Hotel School is located at 27 Unie Avenue, Stellenbosch, South Africa. For more information, log on to www.privatehotelschool.co.za.