Boerewors, Sadza and Gravy.

So, you lose your country, or you decide to move elsewhere because you are not happy with the way things are. However there always remains a certain amount of nostalgia?

For me this consisted of not being able to find certain foods. I kept on being reminded of things the way they were way back then. For a start my Dad was English and had a dislike of what we knew as braivleis. It's just a term for barbecue.

Now every boxing day we were invited to a family friend's house. My Dad went to the horse racing event of the day (The Castle Tankard) and we stayed at the friends house. Swimming, tennis, cricket on the lawn, driving the old midget. Oh what fun we had.

In the evening it was their tradition, to have a braivleis (barbecue) and this was my introduction to them. I loved it and was my first experience of boerewors and from my first ever bite I had a lifelong romance for it.

I have been living in Ireland for the last ten years and could never find it. Just lately however, I have found a butcher who makes it in Cork. At the moment I cannot get enough of it. Hooray.

So there you are, it's just a sausage. However it's a different sausage and a splendid one. Nothing quite like it.

Most sausages are made up of pork and that alone. So they may add some different flavours to these type of sausages and the list is almost endless. Garlic, leek,pepper, chilli, just to name a few.

The boerewors stands out because it comprises both beef and pork which gives it, it's distinct and unique flavour.

Simple, so that just leaves us with sadza? Sneak preview of sadza can be seen in the photo on this module.

Image from Indaba

Maize as we call it or Corn as Americans and many others call it, is what many of the Indigenous people of Southern Africa rely on as their staple diet. They can eat it in many different forms. Some of the more popular ways being when it is still a green mealie, or in other words the cob is fully grown but the kernels still soft. Then they will just boil this and eat it like that. For people of European descent and for them as well in today's changed times, this often makes a lovely addition to your barbecue or braaivleis. Spread butter over it and season to taste. Lovely. Another way is when the kernels have hardened and are ready for picking, to just roast it or grill on your barbecue. Also lovely.

Now then when the kernel of the corn is dry enough to be stored it's harvested and put away for storage. In some of the peasant communities in Southern Africa this just consists of cutting a few branches off trees and making a bed of this on stilts so it is above ground. Then as needs be the women grind the kernels. They have like a open wooden drum, lay the kernels in that and start pounding it with a big stick. Until it becomes known as mealie meal.

In today's modern world this is slowly becoming obsolete, but, not quite. They will load their corn on a bicycle or donkey and take it to a mill to be ground. Or they can just buy the end product in a shop. It is now ready for cooking.

The mealie meal will be put in an urn or just a normal pot. Then cold water is added. It is put on a fire (as in Photo) and brought to boil until ready. When ready the consistency is akin to very hard porridge. The meal now begins.

In the old days and still today, the people will grab some Sadza with their fingers and then mesh it into a ball in their palm. Then dip it into any other by product they have made with their meal and commence eating it. For them it is a staple diet like the Chinese with rice. As a matter of fact it is very tasty and a lovely meal. Which brings us back to braai's or barbecue's.

Among the more affluent members of society, this has become a very welcome addition to your braai or barbecue. Which brings us back to boerewors, sadza and gravy?

Next I will lead you onto gravy and some other traditional things you can use like relish.

Image from Sadza