Tuesday, February 17, 2009

eatingCULTURE/eaten: Padkos.

Eating the world, one bite at a time.

Less than a week after arriving in South Africa, we headed into Kruger National Park. Though I've been in the park before, this was my first time doing it South African family style. Instead of staying at a lodge, we rented out restcamp cabins, and catered our own meals-- starting with a stop for some padkos on the way in.

Though the Afrikaans term padkos could be translated as 'road food', it bears no resemblance to the street-side noodles and sidewalk satays I enjoyed in Asia. Instead, it's food for the road, packed ahead and meant to be eaten on a trip. For our first stop, we had two dishes: frikadelle and sliced beef tongue. Though a little heavy for a morning snack, the frikadelle was easily likable, as it was well spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and coriander. And though I hesitated a little before biting into the tongue, it was surprisingly tasty as well. It paired particularly well with a tangy peppadew chutney, giving it the distinctly South African combination of savoury and sweet.

4 comments:

Denise Kiggan said...

I love experiencing my own country through your eyes!

Jen Laceda | Milk Guides said...

Hi Xander,

I am so envious right now!

Ok, when you said 'road food', I thought you were going to write something about road kill cuisine -- you know, like fried beavers and mashed racoons, etc. Thank god, it was just about beef tongue and frikadelle and papadew chutney - would like to try those some day in South Africa.

Anonymous said...

wow, beef tongue? eek. glad you enjoyed it. :) that park looks incredible- why don't i travel more??

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