I am using this as part of a #marketfriday contribution which is organized & run by @dswigle......thanks for this and the effort you put in for the community :).
As with most countries, South Africa has some traditional/local meals and methods of cooking them.
One of them is potjiekos. It is a local language (Afrikaans) word that aptly means "pot food". Pronounced "poykie".
In essence it is stew of sorts but at the same time it isn't a stew. A stew is continuously stirred over time and one of the fundamentals of potjie is that it is virtually not stirred at all during the long cooking process. To me this allows one to experience different flavours of various items used with each separate mouthful.
A potjie is made in a three legged cast iron pot (potjiepot) over a wood fire (sometimes gas is used but locally that isn't viewed as a "genuine" potjie.)
It takes the greater part of a day to prepare & cook it and thus is normally a social occasion enjoyed with family or friends.
The ingredients used in a potjie normally include some form of meat (chicken, beef, lamb, oxtail or seafood etc.)
Personally selected vegetables & spices are also chopped up and added to the pot during the cooking process (potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, corn etc.).
Some cooking oil is initially added to the pot while standing over the fire and then the particular meat ingredient/s is added. The other ingredients are added in layers based in order of which take longest to cook. Some form of chosen stock is added and a liquid of sorts is added (wine, beer, water or even coca cola.) The liquid used adds flavour and helps prevent the ingredients getting burnt or stuck to the pot.
Sooo.....yesterday I attended the first potjiekos cook off competition I have ever personally witnessed. It was a first time held event in the open courtyard of a small centre in the town of Muizenberg where I live. Ten teams of two members each took part in the competition. It ran from 11am in the morning till 5pm in the evening at which time the different menu (self selected by each team) pot meals had to be ready to serve. All cutting, preparing, mixing and cooking had to happen in that time....ie, contestants couldn't arrive with containers of pre cut carrots etc.....all had to be done on site.
Each team had to have a signboard which indicated the team name, team members names, potjie type being made and any ingredients included that may cause allergens to the various visitors that ultimately tried and judged them.
Some of the meals made included mutton curry, lamb neck, red wine & oxtail and seafood curry amongst others.
People, friends etc that were there could elect to "buy a plate". This entailed paying 50 Rand (US $ 3.04) to have a serving of each one of the 10 meals that were prepared (cheap in my book for the quality of food that was ultimately dished up. Once off payment for ten separate mini meals to make one huge meal....no way I could manage all that lol)
In turn they were also the judges of the competition. They had to vote on their personal favourite meals in order by voting on a form & putting in a ballot box.
It was an incredibly festive day with a great vibe which was also boosted with a local group of musicians playing.
Like I said earlier, this was the first time this particular event was held but it was so enjoyed by all that the next one is already being planned for sometime in October.
One of the contestants adding to the happy vibe of the day by wearing his top hat.
All the photos used above were taken by me. The video used below to explain potjiekos is used from youtube.
