For heritage month, Chef Michelle Theron of Pierneef à La Motte, celebrates the restaurant’s focus on traditional Cape Winelands cuisine. Although her dishes offer a modern interpretation of heritage cuisine, her recipes employ the use of typical spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, the unique curries of the Cape, the use of fruit in savoury dishes, the inclusion of foraged ingredients such as lavender and also, chocolate – one of Europe’s luxuries that made its way to the early Cape.

During September, as we celebrate the heritage of South Africa, why not try these unique recipes that hero Cape Winelands cuisine and flavours.

The Bread Course

Spiced Savoury Berry, Coriander and Citrus Scone Bread with Charred Red Pepper and Basil Butter

The use of old-fashioned flour, the inclusion of cinnamon and nutmeg and the incorporation of fruit gives a taste of tradition to this beautiful bread.

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Suggested wine pairing: 2014 La Motte Méthode Cap Classique  | SHOP NOW

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On to Starters

Cape Curried Kingklip, Fermented Sorghum Salad, Sorghum and Fennel Dumplings with a Coconut and Turmeric Latte Cream

Before commercial curry powder was available at the Cape, every cook had his or her own recipe for a curry mix. In the oldest Dutch, Flemish and Cape recipe manuscripts many curry recipes were documented.

Cape Curries are known for their perfume rather than hotness. Milder with a typical yellow colour, they always contain turmeric. Other popular spices are coriander, cloves, nutmeg and saffron. Also typical of the traditional Cape Curry is the sweet-sour taste profile, usually as ingredients include a combination of vinegar and brown sugar or apricot jam.

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Suggested wine pairing: 2016 La Motte Chardonnay | SHOP NOW

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The Main Event

Smoked Free Range Pork Belly and Ribs with House Braai Sauce, Green Apple and Cider Onion Marmalade with Lavender and Thyme Brown Butter Potato Cake

With a love for cooking outside and over an open fire, many recipes for smoking and marinating meat have developed over the years. With the cultivation of fruit and vegetables, the reason behind the establishment of the Cape of Good Hope, the inclusion of fruit in savoury dishes is a prominent trait of traditional Cape cuisine.

The use of wild and foraged ingredients is also an integral part of traditional cuisine and Chef Michelle’s inclusion of lavender from the La Motte mountainside is typical.

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Suggested wine pairing: 2015 La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon | SHOP NOW

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A Sweet Ending

Banana, Date and Almond Parfait, Orange Blossom Honeycomb Crisps, House Cocoa and Avocado Butter

Chocolate was introduced to Europe in the 1600s and it became so popular that fashionable Europeans had special chocolate cups from which they enjoyed chocolate-inspired drinks. In a time, when luxuries were few in the Cape, chocolate was a real treat.

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Suggested wine pairing: La Motte Straw Wine NV | SHOP NOW

Read about our visit to La Motte here.