While Afrikaners may no longer call the political shots in SA, their loud and innate democratic urges have been transferred to matters more important: which is the best boerewors in SA (a Checkers promotion featuring a distinctly vegetarian-looking chiskop Nataniël)? The best game biltong to match Stellenbosch Hills Pinotage? Which appellation produces the best lamb – and by extension – lamb chop?

A sociological imperative which set the scene for yours truly being invited to judge the inaugural Chop Challenge between Bushmanland and Durbanville, held at Diemersdal this morning. Seated alongside seven boere big-guns of the braai including Barbara Joubert (Sarie Kos editor), Herman Lensing (Sarie food editor) and Jeanri-Tine van Zyl (WINE magazine tasting room evaluator) the task was to compare two chops tasted blind.

One from Oom Koos Visser’s +4000 ha sheep farm near Kenhardt in the Northern Cape, the other from Thys Louw’s Diemersdal hills rolling with wheat and grapes on the Philadelphia side of Durbanville. While we were busy with matters paschal, WINE magazine’s annual Chenin Challenge was being blind tasted by a panel of pundits in Pinelands. We all knew who drew the short straw.

Oom Koos, whose day job is marketing director of the Orange River Wine Cellars, triumphed 8-0 and it was texture wot won it, rather than his secret ingredient (divulged by his wife as being Robertson’s steak and chops spice). The judges had warmed up on Kalahari prawns – braaied sheep tails – plus several rounds of Eben’s wen wors (Eben’s champion wors) from Upington which kenners (experts) claim makes Nataniël’s sausage taste very girlyman indeed. The Bushmanland victory came in spite of claims that Durbanville farmers get their lambs drunk on brandy before dispatching them. A traditional practice that does wonders for the taste, according to Diemersdal patriarch Tienie Louw. Thandi, the boerbul below, agreed.

I was grateful to spend time in the capacious bosom of Afrikaans culinary connoisseurs, not least for the inside information gleaned on Anton Espost from his sister, Elrrieda du Toit, whose bosom is as capacious as the best of them. Anton is the bohemian boekhouer from Riebeek Kasteel busy transforming the town into a Swartland version of Franschhoek. Accountant Anton keeps a professional eye on neighbouring Hermon, the once thriving railway siding on the track to Mozambique that has become an economic microcosm of the New SA.

Hermon has just one R50 note which starts off at the garage on Monday when someone buys petrol. The garage owner uses it to pay the plumber who buys his groceries at the café whose owner buys supplies from Malmesbury in a bakkie which he fills up at the garage, paying with the town’s only R50 note.

Times Live