Baboutie

What is it? Baboutie

Okay, but what IS it (besides a terrible picture)? Baboutie is the thing on the right that kind of looks like a brownie topped with a fried egg. But don't worry, baboutie is not a throw-back to a previously mentioned weird meat/dessert casserole (which you can read more about here). Rather, it's a delicious mix of curried meat topped with savory egg custard and served with some kind of sweetish chutney or dried fruit - in this case stewed apricots. This is the successful, high-earning adult which Pastel de Choclos hopes to one day grow up to be... but just face it Pastel de Choclos, baboutie is way out of your league.

What circumstances led to baboutie? Checking into our hotel in Mossel Bay was like a breath of fresh air. Big comfortable beds, TV in the room, WiFi, an electric kettle for tea, a cozy British seaside resort atmosphere - post hostel paradise. But no sooner did my mother and I plunk ourselves onto our beds, grinning like idiots at our good fortune, then we heard the tell-tale sound of electricity crackling and then found ourselves plunged into complete darkness. All hopes of an evening in with the telly and the internet squashed, we wandered halfway down the block and into this wonderful restaurant which had somehow managed to escape the power outage. Lots of food and a few drinks later, and we stumbled back to our still completely dark hotel and tucked into bed at 8:00PM, because seriously, what else are you going to do when you don't even have a candle?

Where can I get some? Allegedly, baboutie is one of the national dishes of South Africa, but I've seen it on very few menus. THIS baboutie came from a restaurant somewhere along the South African coast.

How much did it cost? Honestly, I'm so behind on this blog that I can't even remember. I do remember it being on pricey side, but I think that was an affect of the restaurant rather than the dish itself. In another South African city I had some more baboutie, and with a salad and rice the total was less than $10USD