Waterblommetjies Flowers from a pond
Most South Africans know Aponogeton distachyos by its Afrikaans common name, waterblommetjie. In English, this delicacy is called Cape pondweed or water hawthorn. You’ve probably had the traditional waterblommetjie bredie, or stew, but unfortunately too many cooks get this unique South African recipe completely wrong. So much so that there are countless gourmands out there who won’t let a morsel pass their lips, because they have visions of an overcooked grey-green mush.
“A bredie is a combination of meat and vegetables that are slowly stewed together to allow the meat to absorb the flavours of the vegetables thoroughly, while the vegetables absorb the juices of the meat… neither the meat nor vegetables dominate, but together they become a satisfying whole in which the combination triumphs!” wrote C Louis Leipoldt in his book Cape Cookery.
And Peter Veldsman explains in his landmark Kos van die Eeu: “Bredie is a unique, timeless South Africa culinary creation, but if you do not have intelligence, you will never understand it. If you don’t have time, you should never cook a bredie, and if you do not have the gift of warm-heartedness, you should never serve it. Bredies are meant for wise people, but wisdom does not reside in everyone.”
A few years ago, when Platteland noticed an abundant crop of waterblommetjies growing in a farm dam at
