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Dish · Cabo Oriental
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Flavors · Cabo Ocidental
Waterblommetjiebredie
Stew of mutton or lamb with waterblommetjie flowers, an aquatic plant native to the Western Cape, onion, potato and sorrel. It is a winter dish, made in the short season when the flowers are harvested from the province's lakes and marshes.
Traditional dish from Cabo Ocidental
Also known as: waterblommetjie bredie, wateruintjiebredie, wateruintjie bredie
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Waterblommetjiebredie — Cabo Ocidental, South Africa
Bredie is the Afrikaans word for stew, and waterblommetjie means little water flower. Waterblommetjiebredie is a stew of mutton or lamb, slowly cooked with onion, potato and the flowers and buds of Aponogeton distachyos, an aquatic plant native to the Cape. The flowers serve the role of a green vegetable.
To add acidity, the traditional recipe uses suring, the region's wild sorrel; many households use lemon, vinegar or white wine.
The plant grows in shallow lakes and marshes that fill with the Western Cape's winter rains and dry out in summer. The fragrant white flowers appear in winter and spring, and can only be harvested while the plant is in bloom, generally from June to mid-October depending on the year. That's why the dish is seasonal: fresh flowers appear at the province's fairs and markets in winter, and out of season preserved or frozen flowers are used.
The recipe appears in Cape cookbooks from the mid-20th century. In the Boland area around Paarl, wineries and restaurants put the dish on their menus in August, and there is an annual waterblommetjie festival in early September.
The flavour of the flowers is mild and is often compared to green bean or asparagus, with a slight tang. The stew is served with rice, usually in a deep dish, with the cooking broth.
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Where it comes from
Ingredients
Mutton or lamb, waterblommetjie flowers and buds (Aponogeton distachyos), onion, potato and suring (wild sorrel) or another acid such as lemon, vinegar or white wine; salt and pepper.
How it is eaten
Hot, in a deep dish, with white rice and the stew broth. It is a main course for winter lunch or dinner.
When it is eaten
Winter and spring, generally from June to mid-October, during the fresh-flower season.
Your questions
Questions about Waterblommetjiebredie
What is waterblommetjie?
It is Aponogeton distachyos, an aquatic plant native to the Cape, which grows in shallow lakes and marshes filled by the winter rains. The flowers and buds are edible.
When is waterblommetjiebredie eaten?
In winter and spring, generally from June to mid-October, when fresh flowers are harvested. Out of season, preserved or frozen flowers are available.
What does waterblommetjiebredie taste like?
A mild mutton stew, with the flowers acting as the green vegetable and a tangy note from the sorrel or lemon.
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