WHAT’S COOKING: Boerewors: Vinegar, spice and everything nice
In 2019, when TGIFood was young, Louzel Lombard Steyn wrote this piece about boerewors as her first story for the then new food platform. She elected to write about boerewors, and the piece contains her treasured family recipe for it. We highlight the piece again today, while asking you to tell us who makes the best boeries in South Africa.
Boerewors, a spicy, fatty, and succulent South African delicacy, was the subject of Louzel Lombard Steyn's first piece for TGIFood back in 2019. Written as her debut story for the platform, Steyn shared her family's cherished recipe for boerewors in her article. Today, we revisit this piece while inviting you to share your favorite boerewors-makers in South Africa.
Boerewors holds a special place in South African culture, often served with All Gold, chakalaka, or smoor. The meat-filled threads connect generations and traditions, tying together our colonial history and the ingenuity of our ancestors who created this unique blend of beef, fat, coriander seeds, and vinegar.
In 1990, the Health Department established regulations to determine what could be considered the "real makoya" boerewors. The guidelines state that the product must be made from a mixture of two or more animal species, including beef, goat, sheep, and pork, with a minimum of 90% total meat content and no more than 30% fat content. The dish may contain no offal, except when used solely as the casing.
Steyn's family has always practiced farm-to-table living, even on their Angora goat farm in the Midlands Karoo. From a young age, she has been involved in food processing, including tomatoes, apricots, venison, and various meats. Boerewors embodies this sustainable approach, with its roots in maximizing the use of every part of the animal.
The intestines, in particular, served as casings for the spiced ground meat, allowing farmers to optimize their resources and prevent waste. Today, boerewors remains a symbol of quality and cultural pride, with strict regulations ensuring the authenticity of the product.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
