ONE OF WARREN MENDES’ most vivid memories from his childhood in South Africa is standing at the kitchen bench helping his mum prepare dessert as his dad fired up the braai, or barbecue – a pastime South Africans treasure as much as Australians.
“The rest of the day would be focused around grazing and gathering around the braai, with meat finally cooked in the late afternoon along with the rest of mum’s feast,” he says. “The eating and gathering culture of South Africa solidified my love of food and cooking. Across all cultures, food is a focus.”
Returning to the nation of his birth this year to film Food Trail: South Africa, airing on Channel 10 from August, Mendes traced the many and varied influences that flavour the food of the ‘rainbow nation’, a journey that took him from the major cities to the coast and bush.
“South African cuisine is the epitome of a melting pot. And despite its turbulent history, the country has thrived on multiculturalism,” he says. “Few countries have such strong yet diverse cultural influences in food – with incredible Indian cuisine in Durban, a heavy Malaysian presence in Cape Town, hearty Dutch and German traditional cooking and, of course, a fascinating native food culture.”
