West Coast Wander, by Georgia East

West Coast Wander. Recipes from a Mediterranean coastal kitchen, by Georgia East. Struik Lifestyle. Penguin Random House South Africa.

Combining Mediterranean simplicity with a dash of nostalgia, West Coast Wander by Georgia East is the definitive guide to sustainable seaside fare and a valuable addition to any South African kitchen.

[...] Few folks realise the bounty yielded up by the West Coast and surrounds and I was one of them. Iconic without being pretentious, the produce borne from this land has its place in history and memory. Heerboon-tjies, green fig preserve and the ubiquitous bokkom reanimate childhood recollections of seaside holidays spent with grandparents, sunburnt shoulders and trying your first tentative taste of that desiccated, salty little fish, coming away with either a nose wrinkled in displeasure or both a hunger and thirst for more. With a food history as diverse as the people who call this coastline home, the West Coast has taken on the culinary signature of every culture that has existed, however briefly, upon it. In St Helena Bay, the monument to Vasco da Gama may be crumbling, but grilled sardines, chicken livers and milho frito can be found in neighbouring eateries. In Velddrif, the descendants of Francesco Carosini, a fisherman who created jobs for many Italians on the West Coast, still live today, while further up the coast, on the pearlescent pink salt pans, workers harvest the same delicate flakes found on the Camargue. A temperate climate that is warm in summer and cool in winter has provided the ideal environment in which to grow citrus, farm sheep and cultivate grapes for wine. An ocean rich with fish yields up oily mullet, maasbanker (horse mackerel) and squid, while the constant sunshine of the Sandveld cedes harvests of juicy black olives and potatoes in every form. The bleached expanse of beach running from Yzerfontein to Hondeklipbaai provides rich pickings of kelp and wild herbs, while oysters and mussels grow plump in the nutrient-rich waters of Saldanha Bay. It was with this abundance - this fecundity found in a place that at first glance seemed barren - that inspired me to take the tradition of the West Coast and merge it with the food culture of the Mediterranean. On the surface, attempting to link the Aegean with the Atlantic appears unnecessary, even presumptuous, the West Coast already has a strong food history; a delicious stew containing Afrikaans, English and Malay flavours. But after experiencing first-hand the diversity and quality of ingredients and the passion of those producing them, the urge was seeded to highlight the area as a place of plenitude that offered much more than was perceived. A love for the simplicity of Mediterranean food, the basic flavours, the uncluttered way of cooking, the honesty in the final dish, cemented my decision to marry the cultures, a move that I hope will not only encourage you to cook with local ingredients, but to also experience the West Coast as I have done. Through the landscape, through the people and, ultimately, through the food. Relocating from Cape Town, I spent three months in Velddrif writing West Coast Wander, a move that a few people pondered, citing concern about the availability of the food I was used to buying and cooking within the suburbs. While I can't (and frankly wouldn't want to) change the perception that country life consists solely of koeksisters and church bazaars, I can say with confidence that moving to Velddrif was the best decision I could have made for West Coast Wander. Granted, life in a small town is challenging, you're not spoilt for choice and often the simple act of buying bread takes a little more effort than a visit to the supermarket. [...]

This is an excerpt from West Coast Wander, by Georgia East.

Title: West Coast Wander
Subtitle: Recipes from a Mediterranean coastal kitchen
Author: Georgia East
Genre: Cookbook
Imprint: Struik Lifestyle
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Cape Town, South Africa 2019
ISBN 9781432309886 / ISBN 978-1-43-230988-6
Hardcover, 22 x 28 cm, 176 pages, throughout colour photos