My vreugdes en frustrasies

A - Z (2016)

T: Trifle

I am not a good cook. No, let’s amend that; I hate cooking and I avoid the kitchen at all costs. Kitchens are very scary places, what with hot stoves, sharp knives, all kinds of equipment that make whirring noises or go clonk-clonk. Besides, my husband and all my children can cook, probably because otherwise they would’ve starved; I also refuse to buy take-away foods.

But, BUT – there is always a but, the exception to the rule: on the 25th day of December in any given year, I rise early, all dressed up for the occasion in my favourite pj’s, to make the Christmas trifle.

I don’t mean that kind of trifle that Dr Google defines as “an unimportant or trivial thing / matter, a thing / matter of no consequence or importance, a bagatelle, inessential, nothing”. No, a Christmas trifle is a serious thing / matter, of extraordinary consequence … and so on. In South Africa, Christmas is celebrated at the height of the African summer, which means that we eat cold meats, cold salads and cold desserts. Every single ingredient comes straight out of the fridge (icebox to all Americans).

I only use ingredients available in the fridge (I also hate shopping) and my family hopefully collect every ingredient that they deem to be a likely candidate. Therefore, whatever appears on the kitchen counter on Christmas morning, will be added to the trifle, provided that it is edible, of course. Cat food excluded. A year is a very long time to remember a recipe, which means that every year the trifle has a different look and taste.

Ons het nou onlangs hier in blogland gesels oor die feit dat die woord trifle so ingeburger is in die Afrikaanse informele taal, dat ons (ek, ten minste) geen idee gehad het wat die Afrikaans daarvoor is nie. Gelukkig het die woord “koekstruif” toe uitgekom en ook “kleinigheid-poeding”. Nou kan ek nie eens onthou wie vir my die inligting gegee het nie. Ek het gaan soek onder die kommentaar, maar ek kekkel ook so baie op verskillende blogs dat ek die gesprek nie weer kon vind nie.

My man vertel vir my dat hulle ook maar grootgeword het met trifle, maar sy ma het ‘n ander belangrike bestanddeel bygevoeg… In die maand voor Kersfees het sy alle kleingeld, tiekies en sikspense, bymekaar gemaak en mooi afgewas, dan het sy so ‘n handvol ook by die trifle gegooi. Sodra die poeding dan op die tafel neergesit is, het elke kind soveel as moontlik en so vinnig as moontlik geëet om sy / haar sakgeld aan te vul. Hy kan nie onthou dat hulle ooit van die kleingeld ingesluk het of ‘n tand in die proses gebreek het nie.

Ek het die storie al iewers anders ook gehoor, maar dié persoon het vertel dat hulle dit met ‘n doekpoeding gedoen het, sê ek vir hom. Ja, sê hy, maar sy ma het geweier om doekpoeding te maak, omdat ‘n buurvrou eenkeer vertel het dat haar ou tante altyd die poeding in die hoof van die huis se ou onderbroek gekook het; skoongewas natuurlik, maar darem.

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39 Comments

  1. Eeuw! Onderbroekpoeding! Maar is die doek in doekpoeding die baba s’n?

  2. Lekker trifle! Dis baie Suid-Afrikaans. Hier is pavlova (meringue met room en vrugte) baie gewild vir Kersfees.

  3. Ha ha nou lag ek lekker oor die broek-poeding. Koekstruif is n woord wat maar gebruik word. Dis darem maar heerlik so in die warm somermaand en met Kersfees.

  4. Hillechien

    mjammie mjammie ziet er lekker uit

  5. drkottaway

    oooo, yum! And you are so on schedule…. I am a day behind, catch up time!!!

    • Comment by post author

      Six more days – I’m running dry 😀

      • drkottaway

        hmmm. dry does not start with u.

        Hmmm, dry does not start with U. Underwater. Undone. Underwear. Underworn. Untied….

        • Comment by post author

          Thank you for the pointers! 😀

        • drkottaway

          I was going to catch up yesterday and do two then and two today…. nope…. I was filled with sloth after writing about it….

        • Comment by post author

          I caught a lucky break yesterday when we ended up in a beautiful little nature reserve, almost by accident, and afterwards went shopping, which provided me with beautiful photos for the next two blogs.

        • drkottaway

          Wonderful!!

        • drkottaway

          The numbers keep dropping. I was #1313 yesterday and today am #1271… people burning out…..I’ve done the Iron noder on everything2.com, tried 3 times and completed twice: November 30 writeups in 30 days (that don’t get removed or downvoted out of existance).

        • Comment by post author

          I don’t usually participate in the challenges. I work on the computer the whole day long and for relaxation I like doing something else. I am surprised that I enjoyed this so much.

        • drkottaway

          I work on a computer too but documenting in clinic, which is really different from this!

        • Comment by post author

          My daughter and I design and develop websites; we work from home. My husband is disabled and he plays online games – our whole house is full of computer equipment.

        • drkottaway

          a computer in every pot? no, that’s not right… in every room… no, that would mean work is everywhere!! Not in the bedroom or the rest/relaxation/plant/window/sun room……

        • Comment by post author

          No well, the “house” is actually a three bedroom apartment. When I “retired”, we sold our family home and moved to the coast. Most of our living area is outdoors – indoors we sleep and work; oh yes and shower when we don’t have time to do that at the beach 😀

        • drkottaway

          Sounds wonderful….

  6. Ek dink my ouma het vir my gesê die eerste trifle het met die eerste koeltrok ossewa oor die Drakensberg gekom. Sy het dit gemaak maar omdat hulle goeie Christen mense was het daar nooit brannewyn of sherry daarin beland nie.
    Ek haat vla soos die pes so ek dink jy moet eenjaar een maak wat nie vla in het nie dan stuur jy die resep aan vir my aseblief!!
    Here in Ireland, they make a traditional holoween tea brack… then they put “things” inside… as fortune telling tricks! We didn’t know this so when my good lady bit into a “gold” ring she was rather shocked and wanted to lodge a complaint… only to be advised that this is tradition and then, on looking at the packaging, she noticed the fine print! Oh well, there went another claim… and our good fortune was out the window!! 😉

  7. Ook ons gesin se Kersete gunsteling.

  8. Sleg vir my dieet!

  9. Dis ekke wat jou vertel het van koekstruif en ek dink Tannie Frannie het die ander woord gegee.
    My ma het elke Kersfees ‘n reuse trifle gemaak en dit was ons hoogtepunt…ek mis haar so!

    • Comment by post author

      O ja dis reg. Well, you know Dear, a trifle by any other name .. haha. My ma het so ‘n lekker yskastert gemaak met kondensmelk en suurlemoen wat ek net nie so lekker kan kry soos wat hare was nie.

  10. Met ‘n Engelse man het ons toe sy ma nog geleef het eg Engelse warm kos geeët met roast en Yorkshire poeding ens. Dit is afgesluit met ‘n kerspoeding met brandewynsous. Die kerspoeding het ook geld in gehad. Lekker ou tradisie wat nou doodgeloop het. Ons maak darem nog Yorkshire poeding saam met roast.