It’s summer in South Africa! For all of you pulling out the winter wardrobe and stocking up on wood for those cozy warm fires, it might seem odd to you that Spring has Sprung in the Cape, and the Summer holiday is just around the corner!
So how does the 'summer season' effect our Christmas celebrations?
First, the country comes to a halt from mid- December until mid- January when schools close and everyone takes their ‘summer’ holiday. Many choose to flee to the beaches and on Christmas day, enjoy a big traditional 'braai' (South African for BBQ) completed with downing a substantial amount of beer!
For those who are more traditional, the Christmas meal is either turkey, duck, or chicken. OR, if you can’t decide, you simply roast ‘Turducken’! This is a meat roll that I have only witnessed in South Africa. As they name would suggest, it is a rolled mix of turkey meat, duck meat, and chicken meat. They say it is delicious…. Can’t say I’ve tried it!
Whatever the meat choice, it is served with yellow rice & raisins and several potato and vegetable choices, followed by Christmas Pudding (the English version of fruit cake) or a traditional South African desert called Malva Pudding (sometimes also called Lekker Pudding) Get the recipe for this…. Nothing beats a serving of warm Malva Pudding!
And of course… many homes and Christmas dinner tables include traditional decorations and lovely Christmas candles!
But we all know this year is going to be different as we need to continue to be vigilant about small gatherings, wearing masks, and social distancing. The braai may be just the two of us and the left overs from the Turducken will last for weeks. But all that is not as important as staying safe this holiday season - the new year looks promising!
Here's wishing you all a very happy & healthy 2021!
