Thursday, April 28, 2011

The year 1497....

Vasco Da Gama set out to round the Cape of Good Hope for one reason - find a sea route to India. The spices of the East were desired and men would kill for them eventually!


Today Superman and I had a date with a difference and headed to the Bo Kaap into the Cape Malay area of Cape Town in search of our own spices. Atlas Trading Company is a place we used to visit alot when we were newly engaged and wedded about 23 years ago. Back then the spices were in cotton bags all over the shop and the rich fragrant smells pummeled your senses. Today the smells are still there, but the shop is more orderly - sadly :-(

Nestled below the towering Table Mountain, surrounded by the smells and fragrances of incense, the sounds of my Cape Town...here you can hear another language as people call out the names of Malay spices....Jeera, Leaf Masala, Kasoori Methi, Whole Bariship, Star Anise, Curry Patta (curry leaves) and more.
As soon as we got home we started a chicken curry, dhal, Indian tomato paste and fragrant rice for dinner. Perfect for a cold winter evening.

2 comments:

africanaussie said...

Oh I remember the spice shops in the Indian markets in Johannesburg. Gosh this post brought those memories flooding back. I bet your kitchen is now smelling heavenly - enjoy!

Hazel said...

I wish Blogger came with complete with an aroma function. But then again, there has been an awful smell around here for a few days...something has died somewhere close but we can't find it. So Bloggersmell might not always be a good idea. LOL