South African cuisine is a reflection of the immigrants who make up the population.  It is a melting pot of Afrikaner, Cape Malay, British, Indian, Jewish, Greek, Italian, Asian, Portuguese  and more recently, immigrants from across Africa. Each wave of immigrants, in their own particular way contributed towards the makeup of the mod and South African table.  It is the young yet vibrant culinary culture that started in the mid sixteen hundreds with the colonization of the Cape by the Dutch, who introduced the savoury spices of the east and the exotic fruits and vegetables from the Americas to the African continent.

In her book, South Africa Eats leading South African foodie and bestselling author Phillippa Cheifitz provides a tempting sampler of the rich variety of our culinary tradition. She has asked 13 of SA’s leading foodies, from Dorah Sitole to Mariana Esterhuizen, about their family history, roots and influences – and, most importantly, for a few of their favourite recipes – Chraime (see our recipe of the week), chicken pie, fish curry, Denningvleis, and Phutu, to name just a few.

The second half of the book expands on these flavours with a great selection of additional recipes.

The book reflects memories of our diverse cultural heritage and the many people that have formed South Africa’s culinary home. It is a great reference point, complemented by some stunning food photography.  A great gift, portraying SA’s rich and diverse cultural  heritage.

Interested in buying this book? Visit - Red Pepper Books – The South African online bookshop, is able to offer you great prices on any book you are looking for, and they deliver to your door. Pay only R282 for this book (Recommended Retail Price = R345)!  Red Pepper Books is offering Wickedfood Cooking School subscribers an EXTRA 10% off this book. Simply type in the promotional code WICKEDFOOD on the shipping page of the checkout process and your purchase will be reduced by a further 10%, a total saving of R63.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – teambuilding cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our cooking lessons are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and team building cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

Lannice Snyman was for many years one of the champions of the South African food industry. She’s been championing good food for years, not only in an area of mouthwatering cookbooks, but also serving on a number of committees, including judging the world’s best restaurants , where she definitely brought more prominence to the South African restaurants’ industry. Unfortunately she passed away last year, but her memory will certainly live on in her cookbooks.

In one of her favorite books that she wrote, Posh Nosh, she shares some of her favorite recipes that she has been using overtime to entertain friends and family.  If you’re looking for one book that contains many of the classics, this is it – Tomato tarts, Satay, prawn cocktailand cheese soufflé, a good selection of soups and pasta (see of recipe of the week), a good section on fish, chicken and meat dishes, and some wicked desserts.   In addition, there is a great chapter on vegetable side dishes for main courses.  A truly great book for someone starting, especially if you’re keen on entertaining.

For a few recipes from the book …click here.

Interested in buying this book? visit - Red Pepper Books – The South African online bookshop, they will be able to offer you great prices on any book you are looking for.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – teambuilding cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our cooking lessons are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and team building cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

We all know that vegetables are good for you.  With the uncertainty of growing methods by large scale farmers with regards to pesticides, many of us are starting our own vegetable gardens.  In her bestselling first book  Jane’s Delicious Garden,  Jane Griffiths tells you how. She  couldn’t find the things she wanted in the shops, so started growing them herself. “Chillies launched my whole vegetable growing journey, because all we could eat in SA were the little hot red chillies. I wanted jalapenos and habaneros – all those wonderful varieties. I started growing them and that’s where the books began. Anybody whose ever started a garden learns that you soon have an abundance!”

So once you’ve grown it all, what do you do with it? In Jane’s Delicious Kitchen, subtitled Harvesting, Preserving and Cooking Seasonal Food, she takes the reader on practical cooking journey through the seasons – whether you grow your own food or buy seasonal produce.

Filled with practical advice, time-saving tips and over 100 mouth-watering and individually photographed recipes, this feast of a book is about making the most of seasonal bounty.

Whether you want to preserve summer’s harvest at its peak of flavour or let spring’s freshest ingredients shine in simple yet sumptuous dishes, Jane’s Delicious Kitchen is for gourmet gardeners and novices alike. The recipes are simple, easy, inspiring, colourful, fresh.

Interested in buying this book? visit - Red Pepper Books – The South African online bookshop, they will be able to offer you great prices on any book you are looking for.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – teambuilding cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our cooking lessons are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and team building cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

Lannice Snyman is one of the champions of the South African food industry. She’s been championing good food for years, not only in an area of mouthwatering cookbooks, but also serving on a number of committees, including judging the world’s best restaurants , where she definitely brought more prominence to the South African restaurants’ industry. Unfortunately she passed away recently, but her memory will certainly live on in her cookbooks. Tortoises and Tumbleweeds Journey through an African Kitchen – is the eagerly-awaited sequel to her best-seller Rainbow Cuisine. It embraces current food trends and looks to the future, capturing some delicious recipes along the way.

It traces the origins of the people who have made their home here and takes the armchair traveller on a picturesque taste-trip through the countryside. The unique culinary, cultural and human history of the area means that some recipes are based on tradition while others are freely filched from neighbouring countries. Some recipes are true to their origins; others reflect a fusion of flavours; many are rooted in the mists of time. All are personal favourites that have been updated for the modern kitchen.

For a few recipes from the book …click here.

Interested in buying this book? visit - Red Pepper Books – The South African online bookshop, they will be able to offer you great prices on any book you are looking for.

Wickedfood Cooking School, Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.

In today’s fast world it is gratifying to know that more and more South Africans are returning to the land and becoming more aware of where their food comes from.

Harvest, Recipes from an Organic Farm by Christine Stevens is the story about a family’s journey from Cape Town city life to the good life on an organic farm.

She discovered that real organic farming, without chemicals, pesticides and artificial fertilisers, although rewarding, is incredibly challenging.

The book documents both the family’s trials and tribulations, as well as a good selection of unique recipes revolving around the food grown on the farm.

From baskets of heirloom tomatoes to home-raised pork and wine made from backyard grapes, this cookbook goes inside the kitchen of an organic farm to explore a rural lifestyle and its delicious benefits.  She shares not only her favourite recipes but also her passion for taking food straight from the garden into the kitchen. Using seasonal ingredients without much fuss, the recipes alternate between quick dishes from the best ingredients to slower, more indulgent meals that truly test one’s culinary skills. Tips for organizing a pantry are also included, and wonderful photography provides both food shots and a tour of the postcard-perfect farm.

Interested in buying this book? visit - Red Pepper Books – The South African online bookshop, they will be able to offer you great prices on any book you are looking for.

Wickedfood Cooking School, Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.