Enjoy a fun and informative Cape Malay Cooking Class with delightful and experienced cook, Gamidah Jacobs in her bright turquoise BoKaap family home.
One of the influences on South African cuisine came from the Malay slaves brought into the Cape by mainly, the Dutch East India Company. Cape Malay food is delicious… spiced but fragrantly so and it does not have the chilli heat found in the Indian influence on KwaZulu Natal. There is also the Malaysian mix of sweet and savoury which is a very much a part of South African cooking.
“While the … spirited Cape Malay people claim a host of endearing cultural quirks – an inherent vibrancy, unique dialect and musical style, fiercely strong sense of fellowship and even their own annual carnival, to name but a few – their distinctive cuisine … is… the prominent cornerstone of their … identity.”
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You will cook with as much hands on experience as you like and then enjoy what you have made around the table together. You will enjoy your meal the traditional way too, using the ‘roti’ as your ‘cutlery’!
Throughout, Gamidah shares not only her cooking knowledge but interesting bits about her cultural and religious heritage plus her experiences growing up in South Africa.
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Explore the spices which make this cuisine special: cumin, masala, fennel, coriander and chilli plus deep yellow turmeric to imbue colour.
You may make and taste: deep-fried dhaltjies (round, small crispy chilli bites made with spinach, pea flour and spices), paratha (roti like buttery, flaky fried flatbread), samosas (triangular shaped savoury pastries), sambals (like salsa, but sweeter), chicken curry (fragrant and full of spice flavour and mild) and Malay koeksisters (round, spiced, coconut-covered treats less sweet than the Afrkaans version). To drink is falooda, a milk-based drink with rosewater. You will learn how to fold the samoosas without everything ending up on the floor!
“Everything I’ve learnt, I’ve learnt from my mother, mother-in-law and sisters-in-law,” Gamidha says.
This is the real home cooked food that the community eats every day. Truly delicious kitchen fare as in the name… Lekka Kombuis.
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The course is 2 hours in duration and Gamidah can add an interesting walking BoKaap tour for a further 1 hour. Her experience4s of growing up here make BoKaap history come alive.
Some Nearby Listings
The Bo- Kaap..
Bo-Kaap Museum. 71 Wale Street...
Amina Boutique Hotel..
16 Whitford St, Schotsche Kloo...
Fyn Restaurant..
5th Floor, Speakers Corner, 37...
