Leipoldt's Cape cookery

by C. Louis Leipoldt

Classic and original Cape recipes by a master chef.

160 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1976

About the author

Leipoldt was a man of many parts and his importance as a major literary figure in South Africa is undisputed. He was the author of many published works, of both prose and poetry, including books on cookery. During World War I he was appointed medical officerto General Louis Botha and accompanied him during the South West Africa campaign. In 1924 he stood as a candidate in the general election for the South Africa Party. A journalist of some repute, he spent some time as assistant editor of De Volkstem. He also became the first editor of the South African Medical Journal.

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this a 5 * because it is so unusual.
It appears to have first been published in 1976, although Leipoldt died in 1947.
It is not laid out like a normal cookery book. For a start it is in a tall, narrow shape on yellow, heavyweight paper.
It's written style is almost a stream of consciousness.
Although the chapters breakdown into subject matter with an introduction, after that it's recipe, followed by a bit of preamble leading into another recipe, a bit of a tale, a recipe etc., charming.
In re reading this book I noticed that some of the recipes for soups and stews shows that some cooks added fresh seaweed to the cooking sequence which seemed strange.
Then I realised this is one step back from the Japanese use of Kombu, dried seaweed, as a an ingredient to Dashi stock, or as a wrapper for rolls.
The fresh seaweed would have added salt and flavouring to the dish, and some would have thickened the dish.
As fresh seaweed was fairly easily obtainable In coastal areas there was no need to dry it.
Oh, and most of the dishes sound mouth watering, although I might pass on the Porcupine Crackling !