From the Spice Route to the Braai

Dear KuierKos family,

Every South African has an opinion about boerewors. Thick or thin, coarse or fine, more meat or more fat, more coriander, less clove, or perhaps no nutmeg at all. Boerewors is never just boerewors; it is family tradition, personal preference and, often, a memory.

Every family has their own version, and everyone believes theirs is the right one! But behind all those recipes and opinions is a much older story.

In 1602, the Dutch East India Company, better known as the VOC, was established and became a major force in the spice trade. In 1652, the Dutch established a refreshment station at the Cape of Good Hope for ships travelling between Europe and Asia. With those ships came people, ingredients, cooking traditions and spices. Over generations, these influences became part of the diverse food culture of South Africa and helped shape the flavours we know today.

For me, boerewors is deeply personal. In many ways, it is where the story of KuierKos began. It is rooted in a childhood memory that takes me straight back to Ouma Rassie’s kitchen, where making wors was never simply about making food. It was a family affair, filled with tradition, stories, laughter and the unmistakable smells of home.

I remember cutting the meat with a blunt knife while the kitchen filled with conversation, chopping, laughter and the wonderful smell of spices.

The smell I loved most was roasted coriander. Ouma would gently roast the seeds in a dry pan until they released their warm, citrusy and slightly nutty aroma. That smell would drift through the kitchen, making everyone hungry long before the first piece of wors was even made.

My Dad had his own very particular way too. He was almost scientific about the ratio of meat to fat. Too much fat was simply not an option because, as Dad would remind us, the wors would burst open on the braai, the flames would flare up and, before you knew it, you had charcoal boerewors! He liked his boerewors coarse and had his own special way of packaging the finished wors for the freezer. Practical, neat and unmistakably Dad.

Looking back, I realise we weren’t simply making boerewors. We were passing something on: recipes, little tricks learned by watching, stories shared around the kitchen and memories that became part of the food itself.

Today, when we make KuierKosboerewors here in the Netherlands, that journey continues. Coriander, cloves and nutmeg may be just three little spices, but they carry a history that stretches from the spice routes to our family kitchens, and from our family kitchens to yours.

The Cape has become the Netherlands, trading ships have become delivery vans, and family kitchens have become new homes… and the memories travel with us.

When our boerewors hits the braai, we taste more than meat and spices. We taste family, tradition, laughter, the people who taught us, and that wonderful feeling of being home.

From the spice route to the braai.
From the Cape of Good Hope to your home.

That’s KuierKos

Warm Greetings,

Marnella & Andreas