Retro Karoo Food: 80 Nostalgic South African Recipes

In every part of every old Karoo house are the memories of things that happened there. Their front doors are portals to the mysteries that lie within, the lives that have been lived there and the stories that have happened in their wide rooms with their wooden floors. Retro Karoo Food brings together 80 recipes from author, food writer and playwright Tony Jackman’s Karoo kitchen, made with love in the spirit of the old Garob. Some are traditional, others adapted, and yet others his own invention: from skilpadjies, boontjiesop and tomato bredie to ginger chicken roasted in a potjie and parmesan gem squash; there is Japie se gunsteling, Karoo ice creams and prickly pear syrup… Jackman also revisits cookery classics by C Louis Leipoldt, S.J.A. de Villiers and others, tracking down the histories and variations of dishes such as waterblommetjiebredie, hoenderpastei and tipsy tart. There are no trends in this book – no spheres, blobs, smears or passing fads. This is a throwback, a cookbook that distils those genuine, old South African recipes all in one place. If you’re a South African at home or abroad, a tourist wanting a taste of local cuisine or simply looking for classics for a midweek supper, braai or dinner party, this is for you.

• Publication date: 1 March 2026
• Page count: 160
• Dimensions: Height 221 mm; Width 260 mm; Thickness 11 mm
• Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
• Format: Paperback
• ISBN-13: 9781432311964