"The Saffron Pear Tree & Other Kitchen Memories" by Zuretha Roos A while ago I mentioned that from time to time I’d feature some great African books on my blog. There are some incredible African writers out there who I feel don’t always get the credit they deserve, or perhaps their work is not marketed well enough internationally – I’m not sure, but I also find that sometimes the best books to read are not just the ‘best sellers’ but rather the ones written by unknown (or relatively unknown) authors, the ones which you never hear that much about.
One such book is the cookbook/memoir “The Saffron Pear Tree and Other Kitchen Memories” by the South African writer, Zuretha Roos. It spans the author’s life from childhood to the present day and is best described as the story of her life and the role which food has played in it at each stage, interjected with recipes (& delightful hand drawn sketches) which span 3 generations of her family. Most of these are traditional South African recipes – how wonderful to have these precious family recipes down in black and white so that they are not lost forever.
The name of the book comes from the Saffron Pear tree, which is perhaps one of South Africa’s first cultivated trees & is believed to have been brought from Europe in the 1600’s. The leaves used to be used to dye wool a saffron yellow colour & the fruits were used in pickles & preserves. There is one of these trees which is over 300 years old (in the Company Gardens in Cape Town, South Africa) which is still bearing fruit today !
Zuretha was born & raised in the heart of the South African Boland & her story spans farm kitchens at the turn of the century to sleepy seaside villages along the South African coastline to the “Superwomen” years of the 1970’s. Her recipes are delightful & relate to each chapter of the book – for example the chapter “Beach Sand & Beskuit” (biscuits) has a recipe for “Ouma’s Snoek Tart” (Grandma’s Snoek/Fish Tart) & “A Sheep At Large” has a recipe for “Leg of Lamb the Old-fashioned Way” & “A Midnight Peach” explains how to make “Peach Brulee” or “Brandied Peaches”.
I guess what I loved most about this book was the fact that not only was it a fascinating account of the author’s life and how food has influenced it, but the superb collection of recipes it contains (my “Malva Pudding” recipe - still one of the most searched for on my blog today - also comes from this book). It gives you an insight into life in Africa, and the influences and progression of traditional cooking through several generations. If you can get hold of a copy of this book, I promise that you won’t be disappointed !
I’ll leave you with a delightful quote from the book, which really rang true for me -:
“Food and kitchen and the cycle of life : in the lives of most ordinary women these three concepts are almost inseparable. Invisible threads connect womankind to kitchens : their mother’s, their own, those of their friends”
One such book is the cookbook/memoir “The Saffron Pear Tree and Other Kitchen Memories” by the South African writer, Zuretha Roos. It spans the author’s life from childhood to the present day and is best described as the story of her life and the role which food has played in it at each stage, interjected with recipes (& delightful hand drawn sketches) which span 3 generations of her family. Most of these are traditional South African recipes – how wonderful to have these precious family recipes down in black and white so that they are not lost forever.
The name of the book comes from the Saffron Pear tree, which is perhaps one of South Africa’s first cultivated trees & is believed to have been brought from Europe in the 1600’s. The leaves used to be used to dye wool a saffron yellow colour & the fruits were used in pickles & preserves. There is one of these trees which is over 300 years old (in the Company Gardens in Cape Town, South Africa) which is still bearing fruit today !
Zuretha was born & raised in the heart of the South African Boland & her story spans farm kitchens at the turn of the century to sleepy seaside villages along the South African coastline to the “Superwomen” years of the 1970’s. Her recipes are delightful & relate to each chapter of the book – for example the chapter “Beach Sand & Beskuit” (biscuits) has a recipe for “Ouma’s Snoek Tart” (Grandma’s Snoek/Fish Tart) & “A Sheep At Large” has a recipe for “Leg of Lamb the Old-fashioned Way” & “A Midnight Peach” explains how to make “Peach Brulee” or “Brandied Peaches”.
I guess what I loved most about this book was the fact that not only was it a fascinating account of the author’s life and how food has influenced it, but the superb collection of recipes it contains (my “Malva Pudding” recipe - still one of the most searched for on my blog today - also comes from this book). It gives you an insight into life in Africa, and the influences and progression of traditional cooking through several generations. If you can get hold of a copy of this book, I promise that you won’t be disappointed !
I’ll leave you with a delightful quote from the book, which really rang true for me -:
“Food and kitchen and the cycle of life : in the lives of most ordinary women these three concepts are almost inseparable. Invisible threads connect womankind to kitchens : their mother’s, their own, those of their friends”
