FOOD
Durban Fish Curry – A Taste of Home
Durban Fish curry A Durban-style fish curry evokes memories of my childhood in Kwa-Zulu Natal and my grandmother preparing freshly-caught fish in masala pastes to fry or red-hued, gently simmered fish curries over [...]
Mealie pap – white maize meal porridge
Mealie Pap. A South African Breakfast For All (@IshayGovender), For Extra Crispy My Recipes, April 2018 On cold mornings, I recall my mother bustling about in our suburban South African kitchen, ladling out bowls of creamy [...]
Matsvnis Soup – a Georgian Centenarian Secret
This Georgian soup is said to boost longevity and battle hangovers (@IshayGovender) for, Culture Cheese Mag, April 2018 Want to live to be over 100? In the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia, a region with no [...]
Chef Gaggan Anand: Pursuit of Perfection
Pursuit of Perfection with chef Gaggan Anand, written by Ishay Govender for Singapore Airlines Priority Magazine, 22 April 2018. In response to his intention to close Gaggan for good in 2020, Anand insists it’s best [...]
The dark, Complicated History of Durban Curry
One writer traces the evolution of Durban Indian cuisine, and the role her indentured ancestors played in shaping the city’s culinary and cultural landscape (@IshayGovender), for MIC, October 2018 Fish curry, tripe curry, mutton [...]
Lisbon – A Feast of Many Nations
As Portugal’s economy strengthens, more visitors are supporting restaurants old and new. (@IshayGovender), For Business Day, May 2018 Strewn across the Seven Hills, Lisbon’s azulejo (ceramic tile)-covered buildings stack together forming countless arches through which the [...]
An Ode to Rooibos
An elderly Khoi woman follows a trail of ants, watching them roll miniscule rooibos seeds into a nest underground. She stoops to her knees. Inside these anthills, she discovers Lilliputin granaries of seeds. Returning with [...]
Curry for Breakfast
Lamb chops in chutney, curried tinned pilchards, leftover chicken curry shredded and served on toast. We look at the South African Indian breakfasts that shaped Ishay Govender’s childhood as she makes a case for curry [...]
Kobus van der Merwe Forages at Wolfgat
The salty tang of fresh kelp lifts on a crisp breeze, across the cream-colored sands of Die Krans in Paternoster, once the lookout for fishermen monitoring the weather. Kobus van der Merwe stands on the verandah of his sparse 20-seater restaurant, a 130-year-old fisherman’s cottage called Wolfgat, about two hours from Cape Town, overlooking this point.
Democratising Food Writing
When the late U.S restaurant critic Jonathan Gold wrote about food, he invariably commented on the irrational fear white Americans have of their neighbours, forging connections along the way. Ishay Govender breaks it down in [...]
Mealie Meal Pap Recipe
Creamy Mealie Meal Pap Mealie meal pap or porridge is a breakfast dish of milled white maize enjoyed across demographics in South Africa. By Ishay Govender (@IshayGovender). For Woolworths TASTE, September 2018, story: [...]
Robertsons Spice Rubs
Nwabisa Ngumbela reports from the Robertsons spice rub masterclass on the new range of artisanal rubs with flavours from Mexico to Japan to the Karoo.