Africola

by Duncan Welgemoed

The number of tourists travelling to South Africa in the last decade has steadily risen year upon year, with 16 million visiting in 2019 alone. People are drawn to the country by the culture, landscape and more often than not, the impressive cuisine which reflects nourishment, survival and love.Wanting to acknowledge his heritage, and frustrated by the tunnel-vision of Michelin star cooking, Duncan has created Africola to encompass the rich and varied flavours of his childhood with a fearless, daring approach.The food which Duncan cooks is all about using sustainably sourced, low-impact-on-the-earth ingredients (carefully sourced meats, fish, vegetables, grains, pulses, seaweed, algae, shellfish) to create dishes that 'open another box in your palate and in your mind'. There is a slew of intensely flavourful, veg-forward dishes, a culinary encyclopaedia of ferments, condiments and pickles along with a solid pastry section and a bunch of ridiculous cocktails.With a soundtrack to accompany the cooking, Africola is nothing short of unique, with bold recipes and raw enthusiasm to inspire every chef from amateur to professional.

Genres: Cookbooks, Africa, Food

Hardcover

Published November 3, 2020

Reviews

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heaps entertaining and generous with the number of recipes packed in. I really liked the staples section at the back, whereas the meat section in particular seemed rather unachievable to a subpar home cook like me

[Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet to cook out of this book but I love the chefs voice (have read a lot of the recipes so far). I particularly loved the “fuck sustainability” segment. It was super eye opening into hospitality practices. Notes on sustainability as a buzz word and marketing tool.
Edit * the recipes in this book are awesome but honestly the fast words made it so enjoyable. Incredible!! Special mention to Nikki Friedli’s ‘not a paid service announcement’ on being a front of house worker

[Jay Dower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Duncan is the f*cken mannnn