September Heritage Month 2025! Success

Dear KuierKos friends,

September is Heritage Month – a celebration of the things that connect us South Africans most: food, rugby, and of course, braai. For me, Heritage Day always carries a sense of nostalgia. Growing up in a family that loved food, every gathering, celebration, and special moment was centered around the table – a place where memories were made and traditions kept alive!

Thinking back, from a very young age we were surrounded by the diversity of South Africa. Where we grew up, in the Northern Transvaal – now Limpopo – the Northern Sotho, Indian, and Greek communities all played a strong role in shaping the way we ate and celebrated. Food was never just food – it carried the flavors of many cultures, and became the center of our family life.

On the farm, a real treat was a trip to Warmbad. Back then, the only supermarket was the corner store – and to us, it was pure magic. Usually run by Greek immigrants, it was packed with treasures. I'll never forget the shop owner, Angelo – always in a barely buttoned shirt with the biggest cross on his chest, speaking with a strong Greek accent, sometimes mixing Afrikaans and Sepedi into his broken English.

Here you could find Greek delicacies, takeaways like Russian sausages, slap chips with salt and vinegar (remember the glass cooldrink bottles with a hole just big enough for the vinegar – and the newspaper packages?), pap and walkie talkies (chicken heads and feet), freshly baked white bread, samosas, and the best baked goods from local bakers. Groceries were limited, just the basics to get you by, but somehow that made every find feel special.

Sundays had their own ritual. After church, my dad would buy the Rapport and a Flamby – those little caramel puddings you had to flip over to release. Pure heaven! And if we were lucky, the Indian aunty would deliver her big, crispy samosas, with just enough spice to make your eyes water.

Of course, there was also the one corner my mom told us to avoid – the info desk stacked with Scope and Playboy magazines. Back then, the covers had little stars covering the "important parts," which only made us kids more curious. (I still wonder whose job it was to stick those stars on – probably Angelo's son!)

So this Heritage Day, my wish is that you also take a moment to taste, remember and share the flavours that shaped you, whether it is boerekos from your granny’s table, a neighbour’s samosas or a simple corner store treat that still makes you smile. Heritage lives in those small, delicious memories we carry with us.

Sawubona! Molo! Goeie naand! Hello! Lumelang! Dumelang! 

Xewani! Dumelang! Sanibonani! Ndaa! Lotjhani!

with love Marnella & Andreas