Bobotie | Community Recipes | Nigella's Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients in Bobotie? ›

Ground meat

Bobotie / Main ingredient

Ground meat, called mince or minced meat outside North America, is meat finely chopped by a meat grinder or a chopping knife. A common type of ground meat is ground beef, but many other types of meats are prepared in a similar fashion, including pork, veal, lamb, goat meat, and poultry.

Wikipedia

Bobotie appears to be a variant of patinam ex lacte, a dish documented by the ancient Roman writer Apicius consisting of layers of cooked meat, pine nuts, and seasoned with pepper, celery seeds and asafoetida. These were cooked until the flavours had blended, when a top layer of egg and milk was added.

In South Africa, bobotie was adopted and adapted by the Cape Malay community – many of whom were slaves and labourers with roots in modern-day Indonesia – with the addition of curry powder, as well as the spices typically being transported by the Dutch East India Company from Indonesia to the Netherlands.

Definition of 'bobotie'

Bobotie is spiced minced meat baked with a custard topping.

: a dish of minced meat with curry and condiments especially popular in southern Africa.

This dish has a delightful taste, and it also includes turmeric, curry, and sometimes almonds. Eating bobotie helps in fighting disease, increases immunity in the body system, and helps reduce inflammation. It also provides necessary iron and protein, which helps your organs and muscles function at maximum capacity.

South African Bobotie is the beloved national dish. It is pronounced ba-boor-tea. A true comfort food always served with yellow rice called geelrys. The dish is a minced -curried meat casserole with a delicious egg custard topping.

With over 60 million West Africans involved in the production of yam, it's one of the most important staple food commodities in African cuisine. Yams are traditionally eaten boiled and mashed into a starchy dough-like paste known as swallow or fufu, often served with mixed vegetables, eggs, and meat curries or stews.

The first recipe for Bobotie appeared in a Dutch cookbook in 1609. Afterwards, it was taken to South Africa and adopted by the Cape Malay community. To explain it to many foreign visitors: South African original Bobotie is very similar to meatloaf, only better.

Why is bobotie so important to South Africa? ›

South Africa's Most Important Dish Is Also Its Most Historical. Beyond its sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors, Bobotie is a dish that shares the storied history of South African immigrants in Cape Malay. In terms of gastronomical variety and quality, South Africa's a hard country to compete with.

There is more than one theory with regard to where the word 'bobotie' comes from. Some argue that the name comes from the Malayan word 'Boemboe', which translates to 'curry spices'. Yet others are of the opinion that it refers to the Indonesian 'bobotok' dish, which consists of meat with a custard topping.

Alongside chasing turkey twizzlers out of school dinners, Jamie is famous for his Italian and American inspired dishes, but it's his classic, rustic and simple steak sarnie (from his Meals in 30 Minutes book). This steak sarnie recipe remains one of Jamie Oliver's most famous dishes.

Nigella Lawson, a British celebrity chef and author, has been open about her struggles with weight and health issues, including her diagnosis with type 2 diabetes and a heart attack.

For me, the weekend cries out for American Breakfast Pancakes – and if you want to make your life even easier, try my Home Made Instant Pancake Mix – or French toast (either Orange French Toast or Doughnut French Toast, you choose).

Another dish thought to have been brought to South Africa by Asian settlers, bobotie is now the national dish of the country and cooked in many homes and restaurants. Minced meat is simmered with spices, usually curry powder, herbs and dried fruit, then topped with a mixture of egg and milk and baked until set.

South Africa's Most Important Dish Is Also Its Most Historical. Beyond its sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors, Bobotie is a dish that shares the storied history of South African immigrants in Cape Malay. In terms of gastronomical variety and quality, South Africa's a hard country to compete with.