Attentive Stellenbosch residents may often spot individuals in white double-breasted jackets rummaging in the greenery around town, wielding a pair of scissors. Do not be alarmed: MatieMedia investigated, and these uniformed foragers are cooks!
Photos and graphics by Jenna Lemmer
According to Kyle du Plooy (right), the head chef at Eike by Bertus Basson, many kitchen teams from restaurants in Stellenbosch – including Eike – forage wild ingredients daily around town.
“When we have time on our hands we go out as a team effort,” said Du Plooy. They mostly forage close to the restaurant on Dorp Street along the Eersterivier, in Jonkershoek, Paradyskloof and Strand Beach, he said.
“Having access to what nature is currently producing helps create a baseline for our menu changes. We will never put something on our menus that isn’t applicable to the current season,” said Du Plooy.
According to professor Xikombiso Mbhenyane, the head of the division of human nutrition at Stellenbosch University, a diet based on seasonal foods is beneficial because nature abundantly provides the nutrients required by humans at a specific time.
“A classic example is vitamin C, which we require during the winter season. Fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C – like citrus – are abundant during that period. This is also applicable to indigenous fruit and vegetable types,” said Mbhenyane.
Wild plants also boast superior fiber content, as well as phytochemicals that contain antioxidant activities, Mbhenyane added. These are important for the prevention of non-communicable diseases, said Mbhenyane.
The resident foraging aficionado at Eike is kitchen trainee, Connor McKibbin (above). McKibbin first began foraging at chef Chris Erasmus’ restaurant Foliage in Franschhoek, where he did “quite a bit of” foraging before joining the team at Eike.
“I almost have to treat it like a garden. I’ll forage wood sorrel from this spot in one week and then I’ll move 20 metres down to forage the wood sorrel there and give this spot a rest,” said McKibbin.
All small herbs and delicate flowers are freshly foraged before each service, said Du Plooy. According to him, the wood sorrel flower pictured above is a rare find, and “beautiful to plate with”.
Jardine Food and Wine Bar also features locally foraged ingredients in their dishes. According to Tashreeq Felix, the head chef (above), cooks gathering ingredients around town have to operate quite covertly.
If too many foragers start frequenting a specific area, the quality and quantity of the flora will decrease, Felix explained.
“Over time we have discovered a few hidden spots. Drikus [Brink], the head chef at Overture [Basson’s restaurant at Hidden Valley Wines], has some secret mushroom spots that he only reveals to a select few people,” said Du Plooy.
At both Eike and Overture, the foragers pay careful attention only to pick leaves and flowers that are in prime condition, said Du Plooy.
“We only forage as much as what we need for the day. Everything needs to be as fresh as possible,” Du Plooy added.
Foraged ingredients are trimmed of any dead material even before being brought into the kitchen where it gets washed several times – in bulk and individually, Du Plooy explained. Thereafter, the wild finds are refrigerated for use during that day’s service.
“Because everything is foraged around where people walk and we are not sure of what was there before us, we take [cleaning the ingredients] quite seriously,” said Du Plooy.
“One of my personal favourite ingredients to forage and use is dune spinach [pictured above and below]. And it grows in massive amounts on the dunes in Strand,” said Du Plooy. He uses this coastal shrub in sauces and for garnishing plates. “It provides a saltiness to fish dishes and a different level of herbaceousness,” he explained.
Aside from foraging and buying from local farmers, Eike also sources produce from a private garden at chef Bertus Basson’s house in Jamestown.
“[He] grows most of our garnishes and a few speciality items like globe artichokes or broad beans, all types of spinaches and a small selection of fruits,” said Du Plooy.