If a Saffa were ever to write an ode to life back in South Africa, it would probably be Ode to Boerewors. It goes without saying that as South Africans, we have boerewors in our veins! It’s not just South African food – it’s South African food. What could be better than a sunny weekend, boerewors roll clutched in one hand (complete with tomato sauce and mustard, of course) and icy cold beer in the other? We’ve got the answer to that one: nothing!

If a little bit of history tickles your fancy, you may find it interesting that the Boers used to make large quantities of sausages during their early pioneering days. They trekked across the country to escape Colonial rule and needed convenient food to eat at the stopovers. Unfortunately, from those early trekking days until the early 1960s, boerewors (it was only called this much later) were only made and eaten in South Africa! Luckily that’s changed because it means that Saffas living abroad can get their boerie fix from the local SA stores… or, of course, they can make their own!

For the average homegrown South African girl or guy, boerewors rolls are a staple food – well, weekend food, that is! But, wait, that’s not true, is it? Several boerewors meals aren’t braai or weekend-based! Just think of the boerie, mash and chakalaka salsa meal or boerewors stew.

If your family doesn’t have its secret boerewors recipe to pass on to the next generations, now is the time to develop one. We’ve got ours, of course, and we will gladly share it with you. Just add your twist to make it your own, and pop a copy of it in the family recipe book – you won’t regret it!

Boerewors

Wipe-your-plate-clean kind of South African food: The boerewors recipe!

This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for, right? The moment we share a delectable recipe with you, that’s easy to follow and even easier to eat (the South African sausage, not the actual recipe – just to be clear!) Now, we’re not going to tell you how to use boerewors in a meal or on the braai – chances are you already know how to do that. Instead, we’re going to share a great recipe for making your very own version of boerewors!

What you need:

• 2 kg ground beef
• 1 kg ground pork (fatty)
• 5 ml whole cloves
• 30 ml salt
• 45 ml whole coriander seeds
• 10 ml ground allspice
• 10 ml brown sugar
• 15 ml ground pepper
• 125 ml dry red wine (you can substitute this with dark vinegar if you wish)
• 90 g of sausage casings (these need to be soaked in water)

Kitchen tools you will need: pestle and mortar, filling horn, and if you choose to mince your meat, you will need a mincer.

What to do

• Using a dry frying pan, roast the coriander seeds and cloves. Toss them in the pan to ensure that they brown evenly without allowing them to burn.
• In a large mixing bowl and using a wooden spoon, mix the ground beef and ground pork well.
• Using a pestle and mortar, grind the spices and then sift them to ensure that the husks can be removed. Mix these spices with the remaining spices and sugar, and then sprinkle evenly over the ground meat.
• Now, mix the wine (or vinegar if you choose to substitute) into the meat mixture.
• Drain the water off the sausage casings and then place the one end of the casing over the end of the filling horn. Try push as much of the casing over the horn as possible and then tie a knot on end.
• Now, for the tricky part. You need to carefully feed the ground meat mixture into the casing while guiding the casings with your other hand. Do this slowly and with care – if you rush, it’s not going to work out.
• While filling the casing, ensure you don’t overpack it, as this will cause the sausage to burst while cooking. Shape the sausage so that it is thick and uniform.
• Leave the sausage attached to the horn but remove it from the machine.
• Spend some time pushing the filling better into the casing and then tie a knot in the end.
• That’s it! Now you can pop the sausage on the braai or into the oven and cook it to your liking.

As you can see, this is a basic boerewors recipe, and there’s plenty of scope for you to add your special touch or twist. For example, you can serve this with the following combinations:

• Mash and baked beans
• Potato salad and coleslaw
• Eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and toast
• Wrapped in pastry dough with chilli sauce and cooked on the braai
• Cut into chunks and served on a platter with dipping sauce

Expert advice for SA expats at FinGlobal

FinGlobal is not your average financial emigration company or South African food enthusiast. Instead, we’re a team that wants to ensure that every South African gets to transition into their new lives abroad absolutely seamlessly. In fact, we have already been doing this for a decade and have a string of happy customers in our wake.

Most of our time is spent providing advice and guidance regarding FOREX, financial emigration, tax, retirement annuities, pensions and much more. If you’re looking for a professional consultant who can provide professional advice and guidance regarding your emigration, we are confident that we are the team to trust. With ten years behind us in the industry, we aim to ensure our clients get access to top-quality services and guidance that can’t be matched. For a candid chat about your immigration requirements, contact our team today! To contact our team, call us at +27 28 312 2764 or email us at info@finglobal.com, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.