December is a season that calls for the three Fs – family (and friends), fun, and most importantly, food! While preparing to kick off the year-end celebrations, you might find yourself scrambling for recipes to tantalise the taste buds of your guests. Instead of heading to the internet to search for elaborate meals, opt for carefully curated cuisines found in local cookbooks from some of Mzansi’s best chefs. After all… Local is lekker!
Senidlile Kodwa? by Zanele van Zyl
Award-winning cookbook author Zanele van Zyl asks food lovers an important question – asked by every female figure – that expresses her identity, love language and joy she finds in preparing food for others – Senidlile kodwa? Translated to ‘have you eaten yet?’ in English, Zanele (born in the village of Bergville situated in KwaZulu-Natal) celebrates food with 100 simple yet tasty recipes.
Coming from humble beginnings, Zanele watched her mother cook soulful, traditional dishes. She later followed her passion for the culinary arts to study and qualify as a professional chef, releasing two self-published cookbooks. Now, in her third, Zanele introduces home cooks to mouth-watering meaty mains, signature Sunday spreads, traditional village favourites, sweet treats, and more.
Cape Malay Cooking: My story, my heritage by Fatima Sydow
If you frequent Facebook, you are sure to know Fatima Sydow. You can now get to know her even better with her latest cookbook, Cape Malay Cooking: My story, my heritage. The book takes food lovers on a nostalgic journey through memories of the many important feasts celebrated in the cook and former caterer’s Cape Malay culture.
Using her love of people and cooking and bringing them together, Fatima starts off with old-school family favourites remembered from her upbringing in the Cape Flats, including stories from Ramadaan, Labarang, a wedding celebrated in the community as well as fond recollections of the festive season. If you fancy a bean curry, salt and pepper chicken, braai ideas, or something sweet, feast your eyes on Cape Malay Cooking: My story, my heritage.
Feed My Tribe by Mmule Setati
Based in Johannesburg, food influencer and entrepreneur Mmule Setati’s love for all things food was sparked by her mother and grandmother who taught her that cooking and food is a magnificent bridge to healing. Mmule also believes that one’s relationship with food is linked to one’s mental well-being, a philosophy she lives by in her everyday life. From an early age, Mmule already knew her ‘tribe’ – her parents, grandparents, and siblings. Her tribe then grew with time, including her friends and extended family.
The social media star now feeds more than 80,000 followers on Instagram with her Insta-ready recipes. Looking for something healthy and nutritious? Something quick and easy to prepare? How about something to spoil your significant other on a date night? Mmule has got you covered and is ready to feed her tribe.
Sifo: The Cooking Husband by Sinoyolo Sifo
With an aim to break gender stereotypes surrounding male figures in the kitchen, Sinoyolo Sifo – a self-taught home cook and social media food influencer from Mthatha – invites all to share in the joy of making memories through food with his book Sifo: The Cooking Husband. Sinoyolo developed his love of food from watching his mother cook and helping his father work in butcheries during school holidays.
In 2020, motivated and inspired by his wife, the pharmacist by profession began his food journey on Instagram, accumulating a number of followers. Applying the knowledge he learned over the years through home and family, Sinoyolo shares with foodies almost 70 of the most tasty and wholesome recipes. From delicious breakfasts to quick lunches to spectacular dinners, not forgetting a few traditional South African and childhood dishes, Sifo: The Cooking Husband has it all.
Modern Cape Malay Cooking by Cariema Isaacs
Born in Scotcheskloof in Cape Town’s Bo-Kaap, Cariema Isaacs’ fourth and latest cookbook Modern Cape Malay Cooking provides a contemporary view of Cape Malay cuisines and simple home cooking. Taking into consideration the Cape Malay millennial generation’s hunger for dishes from the East and the West, Cariema showcases a blend of flavours, putting a twist on Cape Malay cuisines through modern ingredients and global influences.
Modern Cape Malay Cooking also serves as a partner for Cariema’s first book, My Cape Malay Kitchen. ‘My first book was in memory of my father, and the latest book in honour of my mother. He was the Alpha and she was the Omega,’ shares the cookbook author. ‘They found each other again and reside here. This is how I want to remember them.’
