Farmer champions indigenous crops, healthy cooking to preserve African food heritage

African Marmalade founder Siphiwe Sithole believes that the only way to preserve the heritage of African food is by using healthy cooking solutions and elevating uniquely home-grown ingredients, which are often the unsung heroes in the culinary industry.

“People who are trained as chefs are not exposed to traditional African ingredients,” Sithole notes.

“Chefs set the trend and dictate what we end up eating. We will try to either recreate it at home or eat it elsewhere. I see African Marmalade playing a much more meaningful role in training people in the culinary space and teaching chefs about our indigenous African ingredients.”

Sithole is a former media practitioner who transitioned to become an African indigenous crop farmer specialising in cow peas, Bambara beans, African calabashes and others. She has farms in Gauteng and Mpumalanga.

Sithole discovered her calling as a farmer during her media travels and became conscious of the food she was eating. She fell in love with the simplicity of taste of authentic, non-processed foods in Africa.

“There was never a plan for me to become a farmer,” says 56-year-old Sithole.

“As I got into my 40s and travelled to various African countries, I became conscious of the food I was eating. The food I ate was so tasty and it didn’t have chemicals and wasn’t processed. It was clean and much tastier.

“Certain food scents on my travels reminded me of my early childhood when I was living with my grandparents and my great-grandparents. At the time, I lived in the Western Cape and I struggled to find things such as African leafy vegetables and calabashes. We are a melting pot and welcome so many cuisines – where there are Asians, you will find Asian cuisine – but why was the African food not following the people?

“I then decided that I would be the person who goes out there and revives this culture of growing our own food and bringing pride back into our food.

Sithole grew up outside Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, and during school holidays, she would visit her grandparents. This is where her passion for indigenous food, which is rooted in her nostalgic upbringing, began.

“I remember I ate pumpkin leaves with ground peanuts. Different types of beans, such as the Bambara beans, when they were in season, we would eat them fresh, boil and add salt and we would snack on it,” says Sithole.

“When the beans were dry, they would be added to a dish that either had sorghum or it had a samp and dikgobe, which is a protein-loaded dish.”

“We did not have to eat meat every day because when a vegetable lacked protein, we would add peanuts. We got our sources of protein from a lot of plants.”

Sithole started African Marmalade in 2015 after receiving funding from a government grant. The company fuses her expertise in media with the knowledge of indigenous crops she gained from her elders. They sell their produce at farmers' markets in northern Johannesburg and are a small supplier of indigenous products for restaurants, private game resorts and the nostalgic home cook. 

“I see African Marmalade playing a role in training the people in the culinary space and industry about the ingredients,” she says.

“When people are trained as chefs, they are not exposed to indigenous African ingredients. They are exposed to French and Italian cuisine. When you take our chefs to head kitchens in fine dining establishments, they don't bring anything special regarding their food heritage.”

Bambara bean curry with millet croutons

Ingredients

Curry:

• 50ml margarine plant spread
• 50g brown onions (finely chopped)
• 50g green pepper (finely chopped)
• 15g garlic and ginger (crushed)
• 30g curry powder (mild or hot)
• 5g organic turmeric powder
• 1 vegetable stock sachet
• 200g cooked Bambara/jugo beans (salted)
• 60g tomato purée
• 50g tomato paste
• 25g chutney (mild or hot)
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 curry leaves
• salt to taste

Millet croutons:

• 100g cooked dehusked millet
• 200ml water
• A pinch of salt
• 30g cassava flour
• 100ml coconut oil
• Chives & parsley, spring onions (fresh) for garnish

Method

• To prepare curry, heat the margarine plant spread in a deep saucepan.
• In a saucepan, fry the chopped onion for a minute. Add the peppers and stir in garlic and ginger, turmeric and curry powder.
• Add the cooked Bambara beans, followed by tomato paste, tomato purée, chutney, vegetable stock and 100ml water and let the curry simmer.
• Stir the curry and add curry and bay leaves. Allow the curry to cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt if necessary.
• To prepare the millet croutons, rinse the cooked millet twice.
• Place the dehusked millet in a pot and soak it in 200ml of warm water for 10 minutes. Add a pinch of salt to the water.
• Bring the pot with the millet to the boil for 5-7 minutes or until cooked.
• Take the pot off the stove and let the millet stand for 5 minutes. Use a fork to flake or loosen the grains.
• Empty out the cooked millet into a bowl to cool. Add in cassava flour and mix.
• Using your hands, make small balls, then flatten them or use a small cutter to shape the croutons.
• In a frying pan, heat oil on the stove. When the oil is hot, gently place the croutons and fry till slightly golden brown.
• Place a paper towel on a plate/bowl and remove croutons from the pan and let the towel absorb excess oil.
• To plate, scoop the curry onto a bowl and garnish with spring onions.
• Place the bowl on a plate and arrange the millet croutons along its edge.
• Sprinkle with chives and chopped fresh parsley.

Chef’s tip: Cook the Bambara beans beforehand by pre-soaking them in water overnight and cook for an hour or until soft.