Waterblommetjie Bredie

Waterblommetjies are the flower spikes of Aponogeton distachyos, Cape pondweed, an indigenous aquatic plant that grows in seasonal dams and vleis across the Western Cape and flowers in the wet months from about July to October. The buds are picked, cleaned and cooked into a bredie - a slow Cape stew - with lamb, onion, potato and something sour, usually lemon or sorrel, over two or three hours until the meat falls apart and the buds have softened to a texture somewhere between a green bean and an artichoke heart. The flavour is faintly sour and vegetal and does not resemble anything else. It is strictly seasonal: outside winter the buds are unavailable fresh, and the tinned version is a poor substitute. Farm restaurants in the Boland and traditional Cape kitchens put it on the menu when the dams flower, which is the only time to eat it.

What to look for

• An indigenous water plant - Cape pondweed flowering in seasonal dams.
• A slow bredie - lamb, onion and potato cooked down over hours.
• The texture - somewhere between a green bean and an artichoke heart.
• A short season - available fresh only from about July to October.

When to go

July to October, when the dams flower. An hour. Boland farm restaurants.

Things to know

Outside the season it is unavailable or tinned, and tinned is poor. The sour vegetal taste divides people sharply. Few restaurants outside the Western Cape make it. Wild picking is regulated and should not be attempted casually.

Nearby

Boland farm restaurants around Paarl, Wellington and Stellenbosch.