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Continuing with our mission which is to offer our guests a unique lodging and dining experience, the Great Tree Inn is introducing weekends that feature exotic, ethnic dining.
Why not Breakaway and join us for a "African" themed weekend.
Saturday Breakfast
Pannekoek en spek: Delicate cinnamon and lemon flavored pancakes served with "Lion's" golden syrup and served with crispy bacon. (Traditionally warthog).
Saturday Evening
 Guests gather in one of the living rooms, to enjoy a glass (or two) of "amarula". 'Other' animals that are most keen to enjoy the amarula are African elephants, which arrive in herds, or by themselves, and ram the trees to get the fruits to fall off. As the fruit falls and lies on the ground, it starts to ferment, giving it a sweeter taste - and a slightly alcoholic content. And many a bull-elephant has woken up with a bad temper after excessivey imbibing of the Amarula fruit.
Dinner Menu
Appetizer: Ingelegde vis (pickled fish)
Chunks of white fish marinated in onions and a hot curry sauce. Served cold with a generous slice of sourdough bread.
Slaves from Dutch territories in the East Indies brought this traditional method of pickling fish to Southern Africa. This became very popular in the days before refrigeration and though refrigeration has made this method of preservation obsolete, pickled fish are still popular throughout Southern Africa.
Pickling is one of the oldest methods of preserving foods. The first recorded recipe (a fish salad based on marinated and spiced carp) is from ancient China dated 1300 BC Pickling is the preserving of food in an acid (in salt, brine or vinegar), to prevent undesirable bacteria growth. Food historians say salting herring onboard was introduced by the Dutch in the 14th century. This allowed longer fishing trips and reduced post-harvest losses, improving the production and economics of salted herring. Trading of salted herring, sardine and salmon was common around the seas of Europe and Scandinavia during the 17th century.
Chinese and South East Asians have also preserved their fish for centuries using lime juice or vinegar to which spices were added. Malay fish umai is a prime example.
Malay pickled fish is left for a day or two for the flavours to develop and is served cold with bread and salad.
Intermezzo: Old Brown Sherry
Entree': Bobotie
 Origin: Africa via Malaysia
Pronounced: "buh-boor-tea"
It is an older Afrikaner delicacy, of Malay origin, and originally made with minced ostrich meat and curried spices traditionally served on yellow rice with raisins. It can also of ground kudu or any other venison or red meat. When the Dutch, led by Jan van Riebeeck of the Dutch East India Company, arrived at the Cape in 1652 they found that to work the land they would need slaves, as the indigenous people were none too interested in slaving for the colonists. The first Malay (the term “Maylay” indicates Muslim belief and tradition, but not any particular place of origin) slaves arrived from Java and various Indonesian islands in 1658. Being slaves, the Malays often ended up in the Dut
ch kitchens and their influence remains apparent in dishes such as… bobotie. The origins of the name are not clear, but the curried spice, turmeric-yellow rice and the use of fruit in a meat dish are all indicative of this dish’s Malay roots.
Dessert: Koeksisters
Origin: Africa via Malaysia
Pronounced: "cook-sister."
Language Origin: A koeksister or koesister comes from the Dutch word koekje, the diminutive of koek meaning "cake".
Koeksisters are a distant relative of the Indian Gulab Jamin, which had made it's way to Java and Bali. The koeksister was introduced to the African continent by the Cape Malays,
who were brought originally to the Cape Province as slaves by the Dutch settlers.
Together with the Indians, who were brought to Southern Africa by the British colonists as "coolies" (indentured laborers) to work in the sugar-cane fields, the Malays are responsible for the spicy influence on African cuisine. The Afrikaners gave us the Braai (BBQ) and the Potjie (stewing pot), the Xhosa, Mielie pap (ground corn) and samanzi (steam bread), but for truly spicy exotic dishes, we have the Cape Malays and East Indians to thank.
This very South African dessert is a pastry that is deep fried and then dipped in cold sugary syrup laced with spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, lemon and ginger. The dough (not donut-like) is twisted to form a little braid, and after cooking in hot oil, is dunked in very cold syrup that turns the outside crunchy and the inside, wet and gooey. Enjoy!
Sunday Breakfast
Baked white fish (seasonal) served with a bernaisse sauce, fried eggs and sauteed potatoes and tomatoes.
The cost of the "Out of Africa" weekend is included in the room-rate plus "bring your own" wine. The theme dining weekend is limited to the following five rooms only:
English Ivy
Kingbee
Victorian Violet
Country Folk
Seventh Heaven
We recommend you reserve well in advance to ensure availability of your preferred suite.
Consider also:
El Lupo
Na zdorov'ya
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