58 AMERICANWAY
DECEMBER 1 2008
company’s soap-making facility and haven’t
had time to finish labeling all the bars, but
it doesn’t matter — customers are snapping
them up, anxious to take home the rich smell
and luxurious feel of products made with lo-
callygrownrooibos tea.Here, at thebaseof the
Cederberg mountains, four-year-old Red Ce-
dar Cosmetics is a growing business in a town
that hasn’t seenmuchgrowth for years.
Though it’s just 46 miles from the nearest
town of Clanwilliam, Wupperthal, which was
founded by German Rhenish missionaries in
1830, feels incredibly isolated. Togethere, you
have to descend down a long gravel road into
the valley, passing by farmerswho still rely on
donkey carts to collect thehoneybush they sell
for teaas yougo.While telephone lines stretch
across thevalley, there is littleevidenceofother
modern technologies.
It takes but a second to completely relax
inWupperthal. A complete tour of the town,
including the bakery, the Wupperthal Shoe
Factory, and the local cemetery and church,
doesn’t takemuch longer.
The bare-bones feeling of Wupperthal is a
stark contrast toadestination just a fewhours
away: the five-star Bushmans Kloof Wilder-
nessReserveandRetreat.
ShortlyafterarrivingatBushmansKloof,af-
ter the bags have beenwhisked away to rooms
that are straight out of a dream of the perfect
SouthAfrican lodge, it’s time for thefirst game
drive through the reserve inanopen4x4.
It’s startling to seeazebra in thewild for the
first time. This one, a Cape mountain zebra,
SouthAfrican wildfl wers
FromBobotie to
Biltong and Beyond
GENUINE SOUTHAFRICANCUISINE:
Treat yourself to
a special experience by calling Mymoena Poggenpoel a few
days before you head towardCapeTown. Less than an hour
away, in the fishing village of Kalk Bay, Poggenpoel cooks for
tourists in her home.As long as she’s not busy, she’ll whip up
specialties such as bobotie (a highly spiced dish of minced
meat over rice), rock lobster, sardine cakes,or
a spicy chicken curry.The heat builds slowly,
but it gets there. (011-27-21-788-7179)
ROOIBOSTEA:
Grown only on thewestern
coast of South Africa, rooibos is the default
tea in that country— and a very tasty one at
that.To see how it’s grown, consider taking a
tour of theGroenkol RooibosTea Estate, just
outside of Clanwilliam.To book a tour, con-
tact Annette or Chris du Plessis. (011-027-
27-482-2022,www.elandsberg.co.za)
BRAAI CHICKEN:
It’s the rare home in
South Africa that doesn’t have an outdoor
barbecue, known as a braai. If you can’t be-
friend a local or two, try Mzoli’s Place (NY
115, Shop 3, Guguletu, CapeTown; 011-27-
21-638-1355) or Cape Courtyard Restau-
rant (Kronendal Estate, 142MainRoad,Hout
Bay; 011-27-21-790-5837).
FRIED HAKE:
Forget cod; in South Africa,
hake is king of the deep fry (along with cala-
mari).Your best bet for fresh-as-can-be hake?
The takeout shops in the commercial fishing
and seaside towns that pepper the coast.
MALVA PUDDING:
A spongy, sweet cake
made with apricot jam and plenty of sugar
and toppedwith custard.
KOEKSISTERS:
Take a short braidedpieceof
frieddough,dip it in sugar syrup, and eat.Your
teethwill hurt.The rest of youwill be happy.
All that wandering about requires some hearty chow.Thanks
to the wide range of cultures that have landed in SouthAfrica
over its history, there are plenty of big flavo s to choose from.
Vegetarians beware: South Africans are fairly meat obsessed.
It’s mutton all around as you go north, and in CapeTown and
beyond,whole stores are dedicated to selling biltong, the South
African version of beef jerky. (Not meat shy?Try the eland bil-
tong.Really.)Here are some of the specialties to look for as you
move up the coast.
TheVictoria andAlfredWaterfront, CapeTown
Aloe striata wildfl wers
