Cariema Isaacs

Cariema Isaacs has put this cookbook together to honor her father, her family, and the Cape Malay way of cooking food. Most of the recipes are traditional, there are some she has included which are convenient, modern and simple. Each section has an introduction by the author in which she shares memories of why the recipes are important to her and the specific holidays and events they go with in her family's traditions. I enjoyed those introductions very much as an insight into a culture I have little familiarity with.

The recipes themselves seem very doable. Most are a take on stews "Bredies" or curries. Almost all include lamb as the main protein, tomatoes, potatoes and a variety of other vegetables. The seasoning is less intense than those from Indian cuisine, but still sounds delicious. Her recipes for the various holiday sweets are a bit more involved. The author has meticulously tried to include and describe every step to make it easy for someone not familiar with this cuisine to succeed in cooking it.… (meer)