South African casserole, Bobotie, is a dish with curried ground beef at the bottom layer and a thin layer of egg custard.
Bobotie’s roots in South Africa date back to the 17th century. Dutch traders set up camp in the area that is now Cape Town as a stopping point on their journeys back and forth to Indonesia. The traders brought spices, cooking techniques, and recipes with them. While the specifics are a bit vague, it is thought by some that the original bobotie recipe came from Indonesia and was adapted to fit the available ingredients.
Bobotie recipes were transported by South African settlers to other parts of Africa. Today, recipes for it can be found that originated in Afrikaner-descended settler communities in Botswana, Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe. There is a variation that was popular among the 7,000 Boer settlers who settled in the Chubut River Valley in Argentina in the early 20th century, in which the bobotie mixture is packed inside a large pumpkin, which is then baked until tender.
Today many consider bobotie to be the national dish of South Africa, and it has become popular on menus featuring South African cuisine all over the world.
Bobotie has a hearty and comforting recipe, made with curried minced beef, fruit, and a savory egg custard topping, which is baked in the oven until golden. it is Flavourful, punchy, and something a little bit different from the usual minced beef recipes of chili con carne, spaghetti bolognese, cottage pie, and keema.
