22 M AY 2 0 1 9
ESCAPE BITES
beguidedthroughtastingsofthetrendiesttotsatthewhiskyandginlivefestival.Cape town, 2-4 may. ticketpros.co.za Gallo Images/Getty
Images,ChrisMurphy,suppliedMogau Seshoene,
aka The Lazy Makoti
As a child, when I woke up to
the smell of fried chicken, I knew
it was road-trip time. I’m from
Polokwane, so we’d go to the
Kruger. I remember my mom
waking up early to pack padkos- always the same thing, like
fried chicken, coleslaw and
three-bean salad.
My best meal on holiday was
the seafood I had while travelling
in Angola with my family.
I went to the ‘Jollof Wars’
contest in the USA a few years
ago, where people from Senegal,
Ghana and Nigeria only make
jollof rice for three days. I want to
explore the flavours of West Africa
and am planning a trip this year.
The first dish I want to try is jollof.
The place that has surprised me
most was Epicure, a gorgeous
restaurant in Sandton that serves
Pan-African food. The plating is
amazing – you could mistake it for
a French restaurant but it serves
authentic African food. The chef
said you don’t need a passport to
travel Africa because here it is, on
a plate!
Cape Town still holds it down
in terms of food culture. There
is such variety, even more than
in Joburg.
I never cook on holiday. I refuse
to! When you are a chef, people
immediately ask you to cook. If it’s
self-catering, I’m not coming...
Mogau is the author of The
Lazy Makoti’s Guide to the
Kitchen, and will be in action at
the Wine Art Food Festival in
Pretoria’s Freedom Park on 4 May.
waff.co.zaAfter a year’s hiatus due to water restrictions,
the Riebeek Valley Olive Festival is back this
month. South Africa’s unofficial ‘Golden Olive
Triangle’ lies in the grooves and shadows of
the Swartland’s Kasteelberg. The twin towns of
Riebeek Kasteel and Riebeek West planted
their first olive groves in the 1970s, and the
valley has been celebrating its olive festival for
almost two decades now.
Local olive businesses have stretched their
imagination beyond the familiar table olives
and oils with some new twists to try this year.
There’s olive sprinkle (good on just about
anything, from baked potatoes to braai meat)
and sweet-and-salty dried olives (with
pomegranates, figs or oranges) at Het
Vlock Casteel, as well as olive butter
that’s spreadable straight out of
the fridge. Olive Boutique has
roasted olives (in olive oil
infused with white truffles
and lavender petals), and a
spicy salsa (olives, peppers
and chilli).
One of the most intriguing
offerings is Kloovenburg’s olive
caviar – no fish, just dried and
chopped olives mixed with chilli, rosemary,
garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and salt. The valley is
also known for its wines, of course, so the best
of both is combined in Het Vlock Casteel’s
Shiraz olive jam. But it is Olive Boutique’s pure
unfiltered olive oil that is one of the most
exclusive items at the festival. It’s only available
for the first three months of the new season,
and ‘has to be tasted to understand why it’s
only used for special occasions,’ says festival
organiser Yvette Puchert.
The festival, on 4–5 May, takes place at eight
venues around town hosting wine events, olive
talks, live music, markets, tractor rides and
e-bike tours through the vineyards. The
weekend pass is R125 pp and the Sunday-only
pass costs R80. riebeekvalleyolivefestival.co.zaOffbeat olives
Discover the many ways to eat
this humble fruit
ABOVE Riebeek Kasteel’s Dutch Reformed
Church is in the centre of town, but is flanked by
vines. The town square just down the road turns
into a bustling market during the festival.› An hour away from the Riebeek Valley, Darling Olives does a ‘meaty’ take on olives: ‘salami’ –
olives rolled into dark chocolate and crushed biscuits, and ‘biltong’ made of smoked sun-dried
olives with coriander and paprika. 022-492-3171
› Olives are mostly grown in the Cape, but an hour outside Joburg is Mkholo Olive Farm. It has a
tree nursery, walking trails, tastings and a venue in the olive groves. [email protected]