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Make South African Blatjang Fruit Sauce

South African fruit sauce has a strange name, blatjang but is an easy dried fruit recipe to make. Blatjang is a thick sauce fruit sauce that contains fruits, vinegar, sugar, and spices and is used as a condiment.


Simple breakfast of fresh bread and blatjang.

Apricot Raisin Blatjang is a traditional South African fruit sauce recipe made from apricots, onion, garlic, and raisins. Make and share this simple fruit sauce blatjang recipe with love from South Africa.

South African Blatjang Apricot Raisin Fruit Sauce

Ingredients
1/3 cup malt vinegar
1 cup dried chopped apricots
1 cup seedless golden raisins
¼ cup finely chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons dried onions
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Soak apricots and raisins in 3 cups of water inside a large bowl for 2 hours. Add all ingredients including soaking water to a large pot and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly pour into jars. Allow cooling on the counter.


How to dry fruits to make Blatjang

Drying is one of the oldest methods of food preservation. It is still used widely to preserve foods for home consumption and for sale. Dried fruits are one of the most popular products made by small-scale processors.

Drying removes the water from foods so that the growth of microorganisms is inhibited. It also reduces the weight and bulk of foods which cuts down on transport and storage costs. Sun drying is the simplest and cheapest method of drying. To make higher quality products, processors use an artificial dryer.

There are several types of dryers available. Just follow the manufacturer's directions. To obtain maximum yields of top-quality dried products, all fruit should be ripe and free from bruising. Any rotten or bruised fruit should be thrown away.

Other dried fruits to use to make South African Blatjang

Fruits that are good to use for making savory blatjang fruit sauce include dried mangoes, papaya, tamarind, soursop, pineapples, and guava. Substitute equal amounts of dried apricots for the dried fruits.

Guava
Guava is an excellent source of vitamin C. There are innumerable recipes for utilizing guavas in pies, cakes, puddings, sauce, ice cream, jam, butter, marmalade, chutney, relish, nectars, blatjang, and other recipes. Fresh mature guavas can be utilized as a source of pectin, yielding somewhat more and higher quality pectin than ripe fruits.

Mango
Like many other tropical fruits, during thermal processing mangoes undergo chemical changes in terms of their nutritional and organoleptic properties, mainly flavor. It is therefore important to employ procedures that will not affect such thermolabile compounds to a significant degree, like freezing or carefully performed thermal techniques, even at a home-processing level. Mangoes may be processed into different products, such as puree, frozen pulp, nectar, concentrated and frozen pulp and in a high-sugar pulp preparation known as "ate". Mango pulp may also be dehydrated to produce bars. Mango slices in syrup or in the dehydrated form are also consumed. The mango fruit is also excellent when pickled and eaten fresh.

Papaya
In addition to being widely consumed as fresh fruit, papayas have many uses. Like other tropical fruits, papayas are prepared and preserved according to different methods. Nectars or juices may be produced by using papaya puree, which either alone or in combination with different-flavored fruits makes a very tasty product. Papaya pulp is also a very popular product. Try papaya seed tea for your next recipe adventure.

Tamarind
This species belongs to the leguminosae family, and every part of the tamarind tree, namely the wood, bark, leaves, and fruits, may be used in many different ways. Tamarind has been utilized as medicine since ancient times, for its pulp can combat scurvy and has laxative properties, while its leaves have diuretic properties. However, the tamarind is mostly used as food. The seeds, the soft leaves, and the flowers of fully grown trees are utilized in salads and to make soups. Unripe and tender husks are used as a seasoning in boiled rice, fish, and meats. The pulp obtained from ripe fruit is an agro-industrial product of considerable economic value in many parts of the world. The pulp of the fruit is slightly difficult to extract due to its low water content and because it is sticky. To remove it, the fruit is normally subjected to a steam bath for several hours.

Soursop
These fruits are rapidly perishable and must be hand-harvested when completely ripe, to prevent them from falling from the tree branches and bruising. The ripe fruit is washed with chlorinated water to remove the soil and minimize the presence of bacteria. Once it is washed, the fruit is peeled and the pits are removed by hand, for there is no current alternative to this procedure. Soursop is consumed as a dessert, although they are mostly used in the form of frozen pulp in foods like ice cream and syrups, and in drinks.

Pineapples
Pineapples are the second harvest of importance after bananas, contributing to over 20 % of the world's production of tropical fruits. Pineapple is a member of the Bromiliaceae family, Anana genus, and Sativa species. The flesh of larger fruits is cut up in various ways and eaten fresh, as dessert, in salads, compotes, and otherwise, or cooked in pies, cakes, puddings, or as a garnish on ham, or made into sauces or preserves.


Blatjang or chutney is a versatile staple to any kitchen and is a thick sauce that contains fruits, vinegar, sugar, and spices and is used as a condiment.
Apricot Raisin Blatjang Recipe

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Chic African Culture and The African Gourmet=

Recipes Explain Politics

🍚

🍚 When Rice Recipes Become Revolution

What if your grandmother's rice recipe could explain the Liberian Rice Riots of 1979?

"In Liberia, rice isn't just food—it's life, identity, and sovereignty. When the government proposed raising rice prices in 1979, they weren't just adjusting economics; they were threatening every grandmother's ability to feed her family according to traditions passed down for generations. The riot that followed wasn't about politics—it was about the sacred right to cook your family's rice recipe."

🍲 The Deeper Recipe:

  • Ingredients: Colonial trade patterns + Urbanization + Economic inequality
  • Preparation: Political disconnect from daily survival needs
  • Serving: 40+ deaths, regime destabilization, and a warning about ignoring cultural fundamentals

This is African Gourmet analysis: understanding how the food in grandmother's pot connects to the protests in the streets. The recipes we inherit carry not just flavor, but the entire history of our political and economic struggles.

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African Gourmet FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Why "The African Gourmet" if you cover more than just food?

Great question! While many associate "gourmet" exclusively with cuisine, its true meaning is "a connoisseur" – someone with refined taste and deep expertise. For over 18 years, I've served as a gourmet of African culture at large, savoring and presenting the continent's rich history, vibrant traditions, timeless wisdom, and contemporary stories with the same discerning palate one would apply to fine food. The name reflects my commitment to curating Africa's cultural wealth with authority and passion.

What makes The African Gourmet different from other culture sites?

With 18 years of consistent publishing, I offer depth and continuity that's rare online. I don't just report on African culture – I contextualize it, connecting traditional wisdom with modern realities, and food with folklore, politics, and daily life. It's a holistic view of Africa's past, present, and future, all through the lens of a seasoned cultural storyteller.

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My content selection is driven by a desire to showcase Africa's incredible diversity and challenge stereotypes. I balance covering foundational cultural elements (like proverbs and recipes) with timely analysis of current events (like the AGOA trade agreement). The goal is always to educate and illuminate the complex, dynamic realities of the African continent.

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